Hamilton identifies with Wimbledon winner Nadal

By Alan Baldwin

HOCKENHEIM, Germany (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton cast himself as the Rafael Nadal of Formula One on Thursday, recognising in the Spaniard's epic Wimbledon triumph the same fire that burns within him on the racetrack.

The 23-year-old championship leader said he had listened spellbound to the dramatic final set as he headed home from his own stunning victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 6.

"The game went on for so long, and I only caught the last half an hour, and that was long enough for me," the McLaren driver told reporters at the German Grand Prix.

"I thought Federer was going to win. I'm not biased, but because I know him and he is a fantastic athlete who has achieved so much. But I knew Nadal was hungry for it."

Hamilton, now resident in Federer's native Switzerland, compared the beaten world number one to Michael Schumacher, Formula One's now-retired but once dominant seven times champion.

"Nadal had something new," he said. "He had even more hunger, and it is impossible to match that once you have won it a lot of times."

Asked whether he identified with that in his bid to become Formula One's youngest world champion, Hamilton replied: "Probably, yes.

"I've had the hunger since I was five or six years old," added the Briton, who missed out on the title by a single point last year. "It's always been there, and I think always will be.