A Pembrokeshire man has played a vital role in Lewis Hamilton's nail-biting drive to world champion success.

Owen Jones, originally from Letterston, is one of the engine gurus for Mercedes.

He was at the company's headquarters with 150 friends and colleagues to witness last week's Formula 1 drama unfold in Brazil.

The former Fishguard Secondary School pupil - a motorsport enthusiast since a youngster - is head of performance engineering with Mercedes-Benz at Brixworth, Northampton. He has been responsible for the development and performance of the engine in both Lewis Hamilton's and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren-Mercedes cars.

Sharing in the celebrations were 41-year-old Owen's parents, Patrick and Valerie Jones of Loveston, near Kilgetty.

"We wisely took the precaution of putting a bottle of champagne in the fridge," said Patrick, who was chief medical laboratory scientific officer at Withybush Hospital before his retirement.

Added Valerie: "I was dancing round the house for a couple of hours after the race had finished. It was so exciting at the end, and we felt very proud of Owen and his involvement."

Owen described the tension as he watched Hamilton secured the world championship by just one point to become its youngest-ever title holder. "With ten laps to go, it looked reasonably secure, but the rain shower just a few laps from the end nearly turned the dream into a nightmare," he said. "For a minute, it seemed we were going to suffer last year's disappointment all over again. But then, the gloom was replaced by rapturous elation as Lewis gained the vital position on the very last corner.

"It was a momentous occasion, and one I will always remember."

Owen gained a masters' degree in mechanical engineering from Imperial College, London and has worked in Formula 1 for 12 years, originally for the world famous Cosworth company, where he led the performance development team on engines for a number of Formula 1 teams including Stewart, Jaguar, Red Bull and Williams.

He and his wife Amanda and daughters Elena and Alice love to visit Pembrokeshire from their home in Greens Norton, Northampton whenever an opportunity arises.