Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes optimistic after recovering 15 places in Spanish GP

Lewis Hamilton collided with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on Lap 1 and was left with a puncture at the rear of the field. The seven-time world champion the recovered to fourth before some overheating issues in his Mercedes saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz overtake him. The 37-year-old finished fifth in the Spanish GP. 

After the collision with Magnussen, Hamilton asked his team if he should save the engine. The Mercedes driver took an early pit-stop and was 35 seconds behind the 19th placed car. 

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However, Lewis Hamilton managed to run past the field and finish with points. The Britton has only one podium finish against his name this season and is sixth in the driver standings with 46 points. 

After his brilliant show in Barcelona, Hamilton said that he wants to push for better. 

“If I hadn’t had that issue at the beginning, who knows where we would have been in the end? It’s a horrible feeling being that far behind, but you have to keep your head up, keep pushing and hope for better. They said I could maybe get to eighth and that doesn’t feel like an impressive result, but at least I’d get into the points. But then, to be fighting for fourth, I was so happy,” Hamilton said after the race. 

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He added that the Mercedes car, which has struggled throughout the season, had a lot more pace. 

“The car felt great in the race, our pace is closer to the top guys in the race, which is amazing. I was just really unfortunate at the start to get the puncture I got, but I didn’t give up. That’s what we do, right?”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said that Hamilton could have won the race if he did not collide in the first lap. 

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“It’s always the call when you’ve lost the race to decide what is the benefit of continuing. From a driver’s perspective you know ‘that can’t be possible, I’m 50 seconds behind the leaders’, but we are never giving up anyway. In the end, the race pace was tidy. He would have raced for the win,” Wolff said. 

“I’m happy we didn’t retire Lewis because that was the most valuable race from us to compare the two cars, to compare their set-ups and tyres.”