This will always be my greatest win, says Lewis after taking the crown in Monaco

The 23-year-old became only the fifth Briton to win the most coveted race in the world, surviving an early crash and tricky wet conditions to wrest back the lead in the drivers' championship.

Hamilton was ecstatic as he reflected on emulating Ayrton Senna, the late Brazilian world champion he worshipped as a six-year-old boy new to karting.

Happy together: Lewis Hamilton celebrates with McLaren boss Ron Dennis after his Monaco Grand Prix triumph

"This is the best win ever, for sure," he said. "Even if I were to win here again, which I plan on doing, this will always be the best one. The first Monaco. Even though I didn't get pole, I just stayed optimistic and brought it home. It was the most fun I've had in a race ever.

"From the last corner on, I was screaming my head off basically, making sure the radio was off, but just so happy I was able to pull it off.

"I said to you all that this is my favourite circuit. This is the one that I would want to win more than any other in the world. That's just because I've been watching it for years. Ayrton won here so many times and I've always wanted to. If he could win, that means the best drivers have been able to win here, so I wanted to do the same.

"The team did an even better job than they normally do and even though I touched the barrier, I did a better job than I've done in the past."

Hamilton punctured a rear tyre in a collision but carried on to establish a commanding lead despite starting third on the grid. He won ahead of Robert Kubica (BMW), with Felipe Massa (Ferrari) third.

He takes a three-point lead into the seventh round of the championship in Montreal on June 8. Kimi Raikkonen, who was ninth yesterday, is now second. But first came the big post-race celebration.

Hamilton added: 'A funny thing - Ron Dennis (McLaren team principal) came on the radio. My engineer said: "Drinks are on you tonight," and I was just about to reply and say "no problem" and then Ron said: "Don't worry, I'll pay for the drinks." Even better!

"So tonight we're going to have a good time, but we need to remain focused for the next race, as we want to continue with the momentum we have.'"

Hamilton was mobbed by celebrity fans including Sir Cliff Richard, P Diddy and Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger afterwards. He added: 'Thanks to all my fans. I know I have got a lot of fans here and also back home. I did it for you and especially my family.'