\”Mercedes Could Have Won The British Grand Prix,\” Claims Lewis Hamilton & Toto Wolff!

On Sunday, Mercedes had a bittersweet race during the British Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton clinched his third podium of the year. Meanwhile, George Russell faced retirement due to the crash that happened during the opening lap. Hamilton clearly had one of the best races all season and was in contention to win the race in Silverstone. However, a series of tough situations led to the Briton finishing third on his home circuit. After the race, Lewis Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff claimed that Mercedes could have won the race in Silverstone. 

The seven-time world champ faced a number of challenges as he battled for a podium with Charles Leclerc behind Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz during the final few laps. The Silver Arrows brought a series of upgrades, eliminating most of their bouncing issues as the W13 led the race for several laps in Silverstone, ahead of the two Ferraris.

Hamilton advanced to P3 early in the race from a P5 start. However, the early safety car resulted in the restart for drivers from their original grid positions. Hence, the Briton found himself chasing Lando Norris after the restart before finally overtaking the McLaren driver to battle at the front. 

Moreover, a slot pit stop restricted the Mercedes driver from undercutting Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. However, Lewis eventually found himself leading the race for quite some time before a late safety car hampered his run. Because of that, he dropped to fourth behind Checo during the final stages. However, the former world champ did not lose hope and kept fighting. He eventually passed Leclerc to secure a third-place finish in Silverstone, his 13th overall at home.

Hamilton Felt Mercedes Could Have Won In Silverstone

Talking to Sky Sports F1, Lewis felt that a victory in Silverstone was quite realistic before a late safety car allowed Sainz to take a big lead during the final few laps. Hamilton said that a race win was on the cards for a while before a few things went against the Silver Arrows. Moreover, the Briton pointed out that he got up to third place early before the FIA put him back to fifth. The 37-year-old lost ground to Norris and spent quite a few laps attempting to past the McLaren driver, leaving Hamilton 5-6 seconds behind the two Ferraris. 

Further, Lewis stated that he was doing good time to catch up with the Ferrari and had a good long stint, which made him think that Mercedes could fight for a race win. However, the Briton mentioned that that gap was too big, and the pit stop did not go well either. In addition, Lewis revealed that he struggled to warm up his tyres in the end and fell behind two cars, making it a tough day.

Meanwhile, Hamilton also warned Mercedes that their problems were not over yet. Lewis thought that Mercedes was at the turning point and had a lot of improvement to do. He also thanked the team for all the upgrades in Silverstone but admitted that the Silver Arrows need a lot more. Hamilton concluded, \”We have to keep pushing. We have to stay positive and it\’s great being back in the fight.\”

Mercedes Principal Pleased With Hamilton\’s Performance

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was pleased with his team\’s performance on Sunday. However, the former Austrian driver insisted that the late safety car due to Esteban Ocon\’s retirement cost them a race win at the British Grand Prix. Wolff felt that the W13\’s improved performance and the battle for a race win were quite encouraging. Moreover, he pointed out that they lost some momentum after the restart. But, having almost no bouncing at all was quite encouraging. Toto revealed that Lewis could not get a grip on the soft tyres at the end. 

Further, Wolff said that without the safety car, the Silver Arrows would have won the race. It allowed Perez to get back in front and Sainz to take a substantial lead. But the Mercedes boss was happy to have a car that was able to race. He added, \”We were that close from winning it. And it would have been so fantastic for him.\”