Lewis Hamilton finished second in the Turkish Grand Prix yesterday and was more delighted with his performance than in any previous race in his Formula One career because he had shown he could produce a result against heavy odds.

It had been a strange few days for Hamilton in Turkey, with the bizarre goings-on in an Istanbul theatre on Thursday in which he “flew” in the guise of Apollo, the Greek god. But he returned to work yesterday with his feet firmly on the ground and produced a faultless example of competitive and mature race-driving.

Setting off from third on the grid on a three-stop pit strategy, when all his rivals were on two-stoppers, was never likely to win him the race and was going to make even a podium finish extremely unlikely.

Indeed, Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren Mercedes chief executive, said afterwards that it was as if Hamilton was starting 30 seconds behind everyone else. He was handicapped by what Whitmarsh called, in classic McLaren-speak, a “sub-optimum” strategy forced upon the team by Bridgestone, the tyre suppliers.

Climbing into his cockpit before the start, Hamilton had been told by McLaren’s strategy team that fifth place was about the best he could hope for. But the most successful rookie in Formula One history was not in the mood to give in and, from the moment he passed his team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, to take second off the start, he never let go.

Just to stay in second place he needed a consistently fast pace, perfect in-laps and out-laps, slick pitstops and the commitment to make a move on Massa when he could make it stick. That critical moment came midway through Hamilton’s second stint, when he threaded the needle between the Brazilian’s bright red machine and the gravel under braking at Turn 12 and stole the lead.

Once ahead, he quickly drove away to an eight-second advantage that was enough to get him through his final stop and emerge ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, the world champion, and seal the runners-up spot. Hamilton’s only criticism of himself afterwards was that he had not managed to attack Massa earlier to give himself a chance of an unlikely win.

During his record-breaking rookie season in Formula One last year, Hamilton seemed for much of the time to surge along on a tide of self-belief.

During difficult times this season when mistakes have crept into his game, that self-belief has been shaken; his gritty performance at Istanbul Park yesterday will have done far more than a win from pole to help to restore his confidence as he prepares for the next race, at Monaco, one of his favourite tracks.

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