Hamilton is winner as Alonso rift widens

Hamilton, whose faultless performance extended his World Championship lead over Fernando Alonso to seven points, is not even on speaking terms with his McLaren team-mate heading into the summer break.

Clean break: Lewis Hamilton takes charge

The British racer's third career grand prix victory was merely a footnote to a weekend of stitch-ups, cover-ups and bitter recriminations.

The upshot promises to be Alonso's departure for a new team at the end of the season.

The tension between arguably the two finest drivers on the grid, which has simmered all season, finally boiled over in Saturday's qualifying when Alonso wrecked Hamilton's probable pole position.

He calculatingly sat still in his pit box — despite his tyres having been changed and the lollipop raised — for an extra 10 seconds while waited just behind as the clock ticked down. Time ran out before the rookie could complete his final flying lap. It left him second to Alonso.

The Spaniard later paid for the dubious tactic when the stewards moved him back five places and shuffled Hamilton up to start on pole instead.

McLaren were also told that their constructors' points — 15 as it turned out — would not stand, a punishment they are considering appealing.

Verbal blows were still being traded last night with team boss Ron Dennis an exasperated referee in the middle of it all.

Class act: Lewis Hamilton chalks upo his third win of the season

Hamilton, who sparked Alonso's ire by ignoring team instructions to make way for his senior partner during the early stages of the final qualifying session, apologised for his incendiary role.

But he added pointedly: 'I went round to the whole team and said, "Come on, let's do this, good luck". There was only one person I didn't. That didn't affect me. I got on and did my job.

'Fernando doesn't seem to have been speaking to me since yesterday, so I don't know if that is a problem. If I see him, I will talk to him but I will not go over and make him feel better.

'Going into the race there was a big cloud over my mind and it was difficult to stay focused because the team were not getting points. So you didn't know if they hated you or the situation, or who they blamed. I have spoken to the them and apologised, but that's the way it is.'

Alonso was in no mood to back down. Asked if he would see out his two-year contract, he said: 'I don't know.'

Questioned on whether he had ever experienced a similar situation in his career, he replied: 'Never.'

He sounded like a man destined for the exit. BMW, whose Nick Heidfeld was third here, and his old team Renault are the most likely destinations, with Ferrari only an outside option given that Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are under contract.

Alonso hit out at the stewards' judgment, saying. 'I think it's very funny. The penalty is not related to any specific rules. It's a stupid decision but one of those strange things that happens. The race result was determined by last night's decision.

That feels good: Lewis Hamilton celebrates victory in Hungary

'This is like when an unfair penalty kick is called against you in football. You have to keep playing the game with a goal against you.'

Hamilton deserves credit for taking his share of the blame for the shabby episode. However, he was served his biggest slice of humble pie by Dennis, with whom he exchanged an expletivefilled outburst over the in-car radio on Saturday.

Hamilton admitted: 'Ron was not happy. We were professionals, sat down and spoke about it. I told him my views. He told me he respected that — that it was part of my personality. We came to a mutual understanding and started with a clean slate today.

'After the argument I had with Ron (on the radio), he was angry. I just thought he was teaching me a lesson. I did not think Fernando would do that sort of thing, but I have reasons to believe that is not the case.'

So did the stewards, who rejected Alonso's excuse that he delayed his exit from the pits because he was checking whether the correct tyres had been fitted. In short, he was deemed to have lied.

No plaudits either for Dennis. The fact the team's attempt to justify Alonso's actions were 'not accepted' hardly reinforced his protestations of integrity ahead of the FIA's court of appeal hearing into whether McLaren 'spied' on Ferrari.

This astonishing season of endless intrigue has taken an emotional toll on Dennis. Looking tired and worn, he said: 'I feel a bit of emptiness at the end of an extremely difficult weekend.

Check that out: Lewis Hamilton takes the flag

"I don't think either driver is blameless. There is a tremendous amount of pressure in the team and it comes from two guys who are phenomenally talented and who are leading the championship and looking for every advantage. It's extremely challenging to give both drivers equality but that is our commitment. If the price of equality is a few bumps or even potholes along the way, I'll take that."

I've urned it: Hamilton tastes the spoils of victory