"I hoped maybe I would get a podium at some point but I've been on the podium for the last seven races," said Lewis Hamilton as he tried to come to terms with his second win in a week.
"It's just insane. I find it very, very hard to come to terms with everything. So I'm not reading stuff that's going on in the papers, I'm just focusing on trying to enjoy it without any of the other stuff confusing me.
"But I don't think anyone expected me to do as well as I'm doing..."
Even Hamilton's most fervent supporters cannot have anticipated a situation where McLaren's rookie was the most logical title favourite as mid-season approached.
But with his championship lead now up to ten points, his confidence growing all the time, momentum on his side, and McLaren firmly on top at present, Hamilton is looking increasingly hard to stop. And while he is determined to retain his professional composure and level-headed approach, Hamilton is well aware of his position and what he can potentially achieve if he continues his current, astounding, form. Had he declared before the season that he was aiming to be champion in his rookie year, he would surely have been derided. Now it seems more foolish to deny that Hamilton is in pole position for the 2007 title.
"I have to be smart and realise that I'm running at the front and there is a possibility of winning the championship," he conceded.
"But I still think it's far, far too early to even think about it or get any hopes up. Anything can happen during the season, I just have to try and remain consistent and try to keep on winning."
The relationship between the McLaren duo comes under greater scrutiny with every passing week - and the US Grand Prix provided another twist in the saga.
Whether Fernando Alonso's swerve towards the pit wall on lap 39 was meant as a message to Hamilton, to the team, or - as Alonso suggested - merely an attempt to cool the car by getting out of the slipstream, it is sure to be seen as a symbolic gesture of frustration from the double world champion.
That frustration is understandable, for Alonso arguably had a clear edge on Hamilton this weekend yet still ended up losing to him. The Spaniard was fastest in every practice session, in Q1 and Q2, and for large sections of the race itself. Yet somehow, he still came out second best as Hamilton controlled proceedings from pole.
Just as Hamilton still refuses to consider himself the title favourite, so Alonso will not contemplate defeat.
"I have big confidence," he insisted. "We have only done seven races, ten to go.
"So I'm very happy with my 48 points and the championship will be decided at the end. Again, I have confidence that I can do it."
Such statements are reminiscent of his stoic faith in his title chances as Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher closed in during 2005 and 2006 respectively. And in the past, he has been proved absolutely right.
But in the past, Alonso has been defending a championship lead in a car and an environment that he was very familiar and comfortable with. Now he has to come from behind to overcome a rival from the same garage, who has not had to settle into the team or adapt from Michelins to Bridgestones like he has, and who somehow manages to beat him into second place even on a weekend when he has a clear advantage in raw speed.
In that context, the ten point gap already looks ominously hard to overcome.
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