MELBOURNE, March 16 (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton erased any doubts he was a one-season wonder with a brilliant performance to win Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Briton, in the fifth grand prix win of his career, demonstrated a maturity beyond his years to survive a chaotic race where only seven cars made it to the chequered flag.
Hamilton started the race from pole position and opened up a commanding lead in his McLaren only to see his advantage eaten away by a series of accidents that forced officials to bring out the safety car on three occasions.
McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who has worked with some of the sport's greatest drivers including multiple world champions Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, said Hamilton had driven a perfect race under difficult circumstances.
"It was faultless," Dennis told reporters. "It's his discipline that makes him so good.
"Even with the most experienced people in Formula One, the most difficult place to be is leading a race because that's where a mistake can cost you so much.
"To lead a race and pace yourself, look after your tyres and all the other things, that is when you have to really drive so carefully because you're not driving 100 per cent on the limit and that's when you can make mistakes."
Hamilton, who finished a solitary point behind champion Kimi Raikkonen in his rookie season, won four races in 2007 but said his victory in Australia was his best yet.
"This win perhaps feels better than any because I feel I've improved in many areas," he said.
"Coming into my second season, I set myself some targets and put myself under more pressure.
"I wouldn't say it's the perfect win because there's a lot of areas I can improve... but I think in terms of managing my tyres, controlling my pace and confidence and being comfortable in the car, it's the best race I've had so far."
Hamilton said Sunday's win was made all the sweeter because his good friend, Germany's Nico Rosberg, finished third in a Williams to claim his first career podium.
The pair were team mates when they started their careers by driving go-karts and Hamilton said sharing the podium with him was the fulfilment of a teenage fantasy.
"We always said one day we wanted to be in Formula One, winning races and being on the podium together," the Englishman said.
"It's a childhood dream for both of us and it feels really cool."
