Hamilton took the lead in the closing laps after teammate Valtteri Bottas suffered a right rear puncture.

He felt so sorry for the Finn that he headed from parc ferme to the upper level of the Mercedes hospitality building to commiserate with him before returning for the podium ceremony.

"This is a lottery race, and whether or not you use 'gifted' as the word, I don't know if I would use that, but it was a fortunate race for me," said Hamilton.

"I was standing on the podium believing that Valtteri should have been standing there, because I felt that he had earned it. So it's definitely different when you don't feel that, you feel that someone else had earned it that day.

"There have been days I've been on a podium where I've lost a Grand Prix, and it's been gifted to someone else, be it a couple of the drivers that are here, or one of the drivers that have left.

"The happiness they've had, doesn't matter whether they've earned it or not, fingers up in the air... I'm just wired differently. I could have done that today. I still won, and you take what you get.

"But I like to win because I've outsmarted and outwitted and outclassed every driver out there."

Hamilton viewed the Baku success as good lesson in never giving up, and waiting for the race to come to him.

"I came into yesterday and I was like maybe third time lucky, and it really was the case today.

"There were points in the race where I felt like I might have a chance to win, and then I had the lock-up and I really kind of [thought] it's really taken me out of the race, and I'm struggling afterwards with the tyres.

"But I was like, 'Keep going, keep going, keep going', I just keep telling myself, 'Keep pushing don't give up, something might happen,' and it did.

"It was really a reminder to me, not that I needed reminding, but my whole life I've been through experiences like today where you you're climbing a hill and you just keep slipping down, 'I'm going to get there, I'm going to get there, I'm going to get there.'

"I remember my dad telling me never give up when I was really, really young and having implemented today. So that affects all life, when you're trying to be successful.

"You try, you try, you fail, you try, you fail, and then eventually you succeed. And that today was sheer proof of that. Of course it was affected by other things."