By GMM

Lewis Hamilton on Sunday said his dominant win at Silverstone, his home race, ranked atop his all-time list of career victories.

"It is by far the best victory I've ever had," said the McLaren driver, who from fourth on the grid ultimately beat home BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, after a chaotic 60-lap race, by more than a minute.

Hamilton, 23, said the British grand prix win was the perfect antidote to the difficult time he has endured in the past few weeks, in terms of on-track misfortunes and adverse media coverage.

"I want to dedicate this to my family - they're all here - because we all know I've had some troubles of late, so this is for them," the emotional Briton, now tied for the world championship lead with the Ferrari drivers, added.

Indeed, the press' immediate reaction was back to the more customary praise for Britain's best title hope since Damon Hill in the mid-90s.

The Guardian said Hamilton "reigned in the rain", while The Times of London heralded the local's "glorious victory" in front of a sell-out 90,000 crowd.