The 22-year-old McLaren...

The 22-year-old McLaren driver continued his 100 per cent podium finishing record to come second to race winner, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

For the second race in succession, Hamilton beat team-mate and reigning champion Fernando Alonso

But after superseding team founder Bruce McLaren as the youngest-ever Formula One cham?pionship leader, he claimed: “I think we took another step closer and, as I said to Felipe just now, we’ll get him soon.

“We’ll be very strong in Monaco, and I’m looking forward to it. Again, that’s a round where we’re going to be pushing very hard to pick up as many points as we can, so for sure, I will be looking for a win.”

For the second race in succession, Hamilton beat team-mate and reigning champion Fernando Alonso – but only after the Spaniard had gone off the track trying to wrest the lead from pole position sitter Massa.

Although refusing to blame the Brazilian, Alonso clearly felt aggrieved that he had been forced off the track and lost two places. He said: “I braked later and I think I was in front of him in the first corner, but unfortunately he didn’t think so and we touched each other. We were lucky to both finish the race because in 99 per cent of these type of incidents you don’t.“

And Massa added: “It was a little bit tight for both of us, but I was just inside and I went for it. I didn’t want to lose out like I did in Malaysia. I was inside, so I tried to stay there.“

Former championship leader Kimi Raikkonen retired after problems with the wiring to his Ferrari’s alternator.