Lewis Hamilton switched off the radio of his speed machine to allow himself two minutes of privacy to scream and shout his celebration after winning the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday and grabbing the lead in the Formula One World Championship.

Hamilton had in turn outclassed his opponents and played his luckiest hand in the shadow of the famous Monte Carlo casino to drive to victory and a place in the pantheon of legends who have won the most famous of all motor races. Only four British drivers had won this blue-riband grand prix before him, but it was Ayrton Senna, the mercurial and brilliant Brazilian, who inspired the youngster from Stevenage in Hertfordshire.

Hamilton had watched the Monaco race on television as a child, entranced as Senna had made this glittering race his own with an unsurpassed record of six victories.

This was Hamilton's first in Monaco and only the sixth of his Formula One career, but many who saw this brave drive through pouring rain and the debris of shattered cars believe this is the start of a new era of dominance.

“When I knew I was going to win, I was trying to keep my emotions in,” Hamilton said as his joyful McLaren Mercedes team celebrated around him. “I just kept telling myself, ‘You can do it, you can do it, you can do it and just don't put it in the barriers'. When I got to my in-lap at the end, I flicked the radio off and just screamed and shouted my head off until I was almost hoarse. This is the best ever. Even if I win here again, this will always be the best. I always wanted to win this race after I saw Ayrton. He won here many times and the best drivers who become legends have won here and I want to be one of them.”

Sir Jackie Stewart, who won here twice, believes this victory is just the start. “At his age, Lewis can win this race many times,” he said. “This is the first, I hope, of many victories for him in Monaco so that he can join the greats of Formula One.”

Great sportsmen are lucky sportsmen and they know how to grab hold of the most slender opportunities, even when they appear through the gloom of the downpour that helped to turn the race into a lottery. Hamilton admitted he was desperately lucky to get away with clipping the barriers only six laps into this marathon sprint through the wet and winding streets of the tiny principality when running second to Felipe Massa, in a Ferrari. That single indiscretion could have killed off his chances, but the misfortune of David Coulthard, his fellow Briton, contributed to Hamilton's luck. Coulthard had endured a miserable weekend, surviving a terrifying 180mph accident in qualifying only to crash heavily again in the race. It came just three laps after Hamilton's pitstop, bringing out the safety car and allowing Hamilton to get within touching distance of Massa again.

Minutes later, luck was still riding on Hamilton's shoulder when Massa aquaplaned into Ste Devote and lost his lead, turning the grand prix over to Hamilton.

It could still have gone so very wrong. Rain delays and interventions by the safety car meant that the race had run over its official two-hour time limit and was ended two laps early - just as well as it was discovered that Hamilton had picked up a puncture in his rear right tyre on his final lap. If he had been forced to complete the full 78 laps, the story might have been one of disappointment and desperation.

This grand prix had been overshadowed by the indiscretions of an Englishman, Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, Formula One's governing body, who is fighting to keep his position after tabloid revelations about his private life. Mosley would usually have been alongside Prince Albert of Monaco for the podium ceremony but he stayed away to allow another Englishman to enjoy the spotlight.

Alongside Hamilton was Ron Dennis, the McLaren principal, collecting the trophy for the winning team. Dennis would not have welcomed Mosley's presence either after writing out a $100million (about £50 million) cheque to pay the record fine imposed by the FIA after another messy scandal that blighted Formula One last season. But even after emptying the McLaren savings account, Dennis had to enjoy every drop of victory. He told Hamilton to put away his wallet because he was paying for the drinks.