Hamilton: “Tough for Ferrari fans, but a fantastic result for us”

The last time that Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) had lifted the winner’s trophy, it was in the Hungarian furnace of Budapest. Nearly two months later, lThe wearer of the number 44 scored an 82nd victory in Formula 1 at the end of the Russian Grand Prix contested on Sunday September 29 in Sochi.

It would be wrong to stake this success solely on the tactical misstep of the Team Ferrari. Starting in second place, the Briton quickly gave in to Sebastian Vettel, and knew how to be present when the Reds' strategists got confused.

What a breed, @LewisHamilton!

It's safe to say he enjoyed that one!#RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kxhqoQd4bh

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 29, 2019

“The team has done an incredible job again, recognized the championship leader. The Ferraris left us behind at the start and they were very fast in the first stint. I was in difficulty with the mediums, but the Safety Car allowed us to make an inexpensive stop in terms of time and Charles (Leclerc) also decided to get new erasers. 

I was able to attack as much as possible with the soft tires after taking advantage of the safety car. It's tough for Ferrari fans, but it's a fantastic result for us. 

The team never lost hope. The Ferraris were very competitive this weekend. We won by approaching this race with an offbeat strategy and this approach was the right one. »He says.

Lewis Hamilton appreciates the return to favor of the Ferraris since the start of the school year. “When you have to fight like that, you work your tail off, you question everything to do better. We love this challenge and I’m really looking forward to the next event. »

His boss Toto wolff had also found the smile of the delighted boss, since Valtteri Bottas allowed the Star brand to achieve its eighth double in 2019. " It is the kind of races that prove points are awarded on Sunday, not Saturday.

A happy Toto is enough to make anyone’s Sunday, right? #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/hM3UogFSwJ

- Formula 1 (@ F1) September 29, 2019

One of the reasons why we chose to start on medium tires and lengthen the stint was to have flexibility, to have an advantage in the event of neutralization after the Ferraris stopped or to put the softs in limit switch ", detailed the Austrian, who however paid tribute to the Italian rivals.

“We always struggle to fight for pole by lacking speed in a straight line. It was not easy for Ferrari after losing a car. »

Discover the analysis of the Russian GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2236 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.