Hamilton shrugs off the Tifosi in Ferrari heartland

"In future, the negativity is really a positive thing for me because I harness it and turn it from negative to positive. In the arena that we're in, it is very, very easy to allow it to get to you, to allow it to have an impact on your life and have you think about it. But it is also quite easy to harness it and use it and that gave me so much motivation. I welcome it. If they want to continue to do it, that just empowers me. It doesn't offend me, because there's nothing to get offended by. I just keep smiling."

Lewis is no stranger to the Monza podium. This latest win puts him level with Michael Schumacher's win tally in the record books. Lewis added: "It's always very difficult to compare past performances. I don't really have the greatest of memories - but under the sheer pressure that we are under, I definitely will consider it to be quite far up there. Obviously to do it on Ferrari's home turf as well, with such a difficult crowd and so much pressure on the team with the performance that they have, to be able to pull it out of the bag and really make it stick..."

While Lewis now has a commanding lead in the drivers’ championship ahead of the night race in Singapore, the role Valtteri played cannot be understated. The Finn held off the challenge from Raikkonen during the mid-race shuffle during the pit stop window, which ultimately saw the Ferrari man use up his tyres, allowing Lewis to pounce late on.

Valtteri is desperate to end the wait for his first win of the season, and admits he is now playing a supporting role to his teammate’s championship hopes, although he thinks seeing Lewis win the title early could boost his chances of a maiden win in 2018.

Valtteri said: "Every victory is important, but especially here. Ferrari was definitely the quicker car in qualifying. We knew it would be a challenging race, and at their home race, managed to get more points than them, which is really important for us, and Seb not being on the podium is good for Lewis.

"Honestly, the points difference between me and Lewis is now very big, so I'm willing to co-operate when it makes sense. For sure, we win as a team, and we need to be realistic. The team wants to win both titles. For me, it's quite disappointing that I haven't won a race this year. I think I've lost many times, especially in the first quarter or third of the season, and really want to win races. That's why I'm here. I think if I have the pace and a good qualifying, if I'm strong in the race, I think they'd let me win. But for sure, then it's a bit more simple if Lewis wins the title. I don't really want to think about it too much. As long as I perform well, then we'll get the results."