Mercedes had an impressive run at the Spanish Grand Prix as Geroge Russell finished third and Lewis Hamilton secured the fifth spot. The Silver Arrows brought some upgrades to the floor, which improved the W13\’s porpoising troubles. However, Lewis suffered a big setback in the opening lap when he made contact with Haas\’ Kevin Magnussen. The seven-time world champ suffered a puncture and had to take a forced pit stop. Unfortunately, Hamilton dropped down to 19th in the early stages of the race. The British driver suggested retiring the car to preserve the engine as he was far behind the race leaders at that stage. However, the Silver Arrows ordered Lewis to go on and fight for the eight-position finish.
Surprisingly, the 37-year-old managed to make a great recovery as he came back in the top 10 and fought hard for the fourth-place finish against Ferrari\’s Carlos Sainz. However, Hamilton\’s car suffered from an overheating issue due to a coolant leak, allowing Sainz to get past him shortly after the Briton overtook the Spaniard. Luckily, Lewis succeeded in securing the fifth spot and finished the race with points after falling behind at the end.
Hamilton Makes A Dream Comeback After Falling Far Behind
During the post-race interview, Lewis Hamilton said that he was happy with his performance. It reminded him of some of his comebacks during races in the past. The Briton shared that it was a horrible feeling falling far behind on the track. But the British driver kept his head high and kept pushing, hoping for better. Hamilton revealed that his team instructed him to fight for the eighth spot so he could attain points. The Mercedes driver found himself fighting for the position, and he felt happy about it.
Talking about the W13\’s improvement, the Briton told that the car felt great during the race. Hamilton felt that Mercedes\’ pace was closer to the frontrunner. The Mercedes driver pointed out that he was unfortunate with the puncture. But his decision not to retire and keep going worked well for him. But Lewis was glad that he did not retire. He added, \”A race like that is like a win, and it actually feels better than a win most often when you have come from so far back.\”
Lewis Hamilton further shared that the Silver Arrows had made a lot of improvements with the car. He felt that the race pace was much better, and the car was much nicer to drive. The Briton felt that the puncture early in the race cost him an opportunity of competing with Red Bull cars.
Mercedes Team Principal Pleased With Hamilton\’s Performance
The team principal Toto Wolff revealed that Hamilton\’s efforts on Sunday felt like some of his previous title-winning seasons. Wolff felt that Hamilton showing a very good pace was important for his and the team\’s morale. The Mercedes boss did not expect Lewis to climb all the way to fourth before the coolant problem. Toto said that it looked like a world championship-winning race car, the way the Briton was driving. It reminded Toto of the last couple of years when the driver and the car were both on top.
Wolff also believed that Hamilton would have challenged for a win if he did not suffer a setback. The team principal shared that it is a tough call to decide the benefit of continuing when the team has already fallen far behind. Toto shared the driver\’s perspective that getting 50 seconds behind the leaders and coming back is nearly impossible. But Mercedes continued to fight, and the pace turned out to be good for them. Wolff added, \”He would have raced for the win.\”