Press hails Hamilton, Alonso, after Sepang struggles

Alex Wurz told the Austrian broadcaster ORF that Lewis Hamilton’s dash from 20th on the grid to 6th at the flag, while his McLaren teammate Jenson Button only moved from 17th to 8th, made him “the man of the race”.

The British press therefore put the 25-year-old’s Melbourne weekend woes in the past, with the Daily Star newspaper applauding his “superb drive” in Malaysia.

The Sun said Hamilton can now “lay claim to being the world’s best driver”, the Daily Mail said he had been the “best in the show”, and the Times crowned him “a one-man entertainment industry”.

The Sunday Express said Hamilton “performed near the height of his powers” at Sepang, while Mercedes’ Norbert Haug issued a two-sided compliment by congratulating Force India’s Adrian Sutil for staying ahead of his British friend.

“If there is someone who will attack unconditionally, it is Hamilton,” said the German.

But Hamilton said he is pushing McLaren to iron out its mistakes and pave the way for better grid starting positions.

“Unfortunately, we are leaving us drivers with a lot to do,” he said.  “I don’t know how many of these (sorts of races) I can do.”

Fernando Alonso, who eventually retired with an engine failure, was also praised for keeping up the pace despite an obvious gearbox problem.

“It was tough to say which (Hamilton’s or Alonso’s) was the most impressive performance,” said the Telegraph, while Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said the Spaniard was the race’s “quiet hero”.

“When I am older, I think I will say that my best race was Malaysia 2010,” Alonso told the Spanish press.

© RIF|GMM