FORGET about a parting of the ways, if Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton secures the drivers’ championship title for a second time in his racing career he’s not going anywhere.

McLaren insiders say recent intense speculation that the winner of the weekend’s Italian Formula One Grand Prix would sign up for rival team Mercedes was well off track.

'And if he wins the race to be crowned champion, which we are confident he can achieve, he’s going nowhere.

'We’re a family at McLaren, we have our ups and downs, but we stick together and with Lewis and Jenson (Button) we have a dream team of winners,' a senior source at McLaren HQ in England told GulfWeekly.

'You only had to look at Lewis’s face when he joined in the after-race celebrations how much he appreciates the people around him. That’s not always the case in Formula One.'

McLaren is considered Bahrain’s team by fans in the kingdom as the island’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat has a substantial stake in the outfit and its subsidiaries.

Hamilton recharged his bid for this year’s world title when he swept to a dominant triumph for McLaren in a thrilling Italian Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old Briton, starting from pole position, led throughout apart from a brief spell during the mid-race pit-stops to claim his third win this year and the 20th of his career.

It was his first win at the Italian event and lifted him back into contention for the championship, but his McLaren teammate and fellow-Briton Button was unable to follow him home after being forced to retire with 20 laps remaining.

'This is amazing for me and I thank my team for doing an incredible job,' said Hamilton. 'Winning at Monza is one of the greatest experiences of my Formula 1 career. I absolutely love this place – I’ve been coming to Italy to race since I was 13 years old and I just love the culture, the food and the people.

'Since I started in Formula 1, Monza has been one of the races I always wanted to win at – it’s such an incredible, historic circuit and all the great racing drivers have won here. To finally put my name on that list makes me feel extremely proud, but also very humble.

'Our car has been fantastic all weekend, and it was nice to have a relaxed grand prix with no troubles. I was out on my own for most of the race and just tried to manage the gap behind me.

'The race was very unfortunate for Jenson – we were running first and second at the time and it would have been great for the team if we could have finished like that.

'This championship is proving to be so unpredictable – and I’m so grateful that we’ve got a good car and that we’re in the fight. We’ve got seven more races on the calendar. We should enjoy today, but this victory is just one step.

Tomorrow, we’ll start all over again, for Singapore.'

Button’s demise allowed Mexican Sergio Perez of Sauber to gain full reward for a dazzling drive by finishing second 4.3 seconds behind Hamilton, but 16.2 ahead of continuing championship leader Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, with Brazilian Felipe Massa fourth in the second scarlet machine.

Hamilton, who sported the Italian flag on his helmet, congratulated Perez ‘on cutting through everybody and chasing him all the way to the finish’.

It was Perez’s third podium finish of the season and endorsed the view of many paddock observers that he could be on the move to replace Massa at Ferrari next year.

Finn Kimi Raikkonen finished fifth for Lotus ahead of German Michael Schumacher of Mercedes, the 43-year-old seven-time champion proving he retains the vim of his halcyon days, with countryman Nico Rosberg seventh in the second Mercedes.

Briton Paul Di Resta came home eighth for Force India ahead of Japanese Kamui Kobayashi in the second Sauber and Brazilian Bruno Senna who capitalised on the late retirement of Australian Mark Webber of Red Bull by taking the final point for Williams.

Defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany struggled through a disappointing race during which he forced Alonso off the track, was handed a drive-through penalty and finally retired his Red Bull due to technical problems.

Button said: 'I had too much wheel spin at the start, and that dropped me to third and caused me to lose a lot of time behind Felipe (Massa). But it was nice to get past him, put some clear air between us, and then start chasing down Lewis.

'I was never going to challenge him for the win, but it would have been great for the team if we could have finished first and second. But it wasn’t to be.

'I don’t entirely know what caused my car to stop – I’m told it was a fuel system problem that we’re still investigating. The engine cut out and I had to coast to a stop. These things happen.

'But, looking for the positives, I want to offer my congratulations to the whole team.'

Happy team principal Martin Whitmarsh, added: 'Lewis drove a perfect race and duly took a well-deserved victory – his 20th grand prix win and McLaren’s 180th.

'In truth, he was in total control throughout all 53 laps, and was never really threatened. We should have scored a one-two finish, but Jenson was deprived of an easy second place by a fuel system problem. That’s frustrating for him and frustrating for us, but the important thing is that our car is a winner. We’ve now won three grands prix in a row, and both our drivers are on top form.

'Lewis has now closed up to second place in the drivers’ world championship, with seven grands prix still to run. It was his third victory of the season, and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ fifth. The momentum is with us, and the drivers’ world championship crown is well within Lewis’s grasp. In the constructors’ championship, too, we’re in good shape.

'Winning is what Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is all about. In Singapore in two weeks’ time, we’re planning to do some more of it.'

Former team chief Ron Dennis also claimed that Hamilton’s triumph in the Italian Grand Prix had strengthened McLaren’s position in trying to re-sign him.

The McLaren Group chairman said that Hamilton’s dominant 20th career win with McLaren proved the team’s strength in depth.

Dennis told Sky Sports TV that Hamilton’s performance endorsed the team’s view that they can be a powerful winning combination in the future.

He said: 'If Lewis is absolutely committed to winning, then he can win in a McLaren.'

Hamilton is believed to be considering an offer to leave McLaren and join Mercedes next season, but pushed it aside to concentrate on his job with McLaren.

Asked about their negotiations, Dennis explained: 'First of all our shareholders have a position, then the board has a position and then Martin (Whitmarsh) has to handle what that position is.

'It would be totally inappropriate for me to say anything that would undermine Martin’s position. It’s his job to get to where we want to get to – and I’m sure he’ll have a better position now having demonstrated yet again that we’ve got a very strong car.'

In response to a quip from 1996 drivers world champion Briton Damon Hill regarding the destination of the winner’s trophy, following previous comments from Hamilton suggesting that McLaren keeping his silverware was ‘a push point’ in their talks, Dennis played down the claims.

He said: 'I think a lot’s made about that, but it’s never really been an issue. We’ve always found compromise in the team when necessary whether it’s over that issue or anything else.

'At the end of the day it’s about winning first and who gets what afterwards is something that can be discussed.'

On paper, as Button has pointed out in public to Hamilton, the Englishman has more to lose than gain by leaving McLaren.

Standings
Drivers (top six): 1. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 179pts; 2. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) McLaren 142; 3. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Renault 141; 4. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 140; 5. Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 132; 6. Jenson Button (Great Britain) McLaren 101.

Constructors (top six): 1. RedBull - Renault 272; 2. McLaren - Mercedes 243; 3. Ferrari 226; 4. Lotus - Renault 217; 5. Mercedes 126; 6. Sauber - Ferrari 100.