Lewis Hamilton: “I went against the advice of the team”

A jubilant crowd, a new record of six victories on British soil: Sunday July 14 at Silverstone will remain a notable day of the season Lewis Hamilton et Mercedes in 2019.

The reigning world champion beat his teammate Valtteri Bottas, largely taking advantage of his “free” stop under safety car regime, thus taking the advantage over the Finn who had dominated qualifying, while resisting the former driver McLaren at the start of the race.

“I almost passed him in turn 7, but he was next to me and I couldn't really close the door, comments Hamilton on the skirmish with Bottas.

After that I took some distance and waited for the pit stops hoping to be able to overtake him in the pits. I extended my first stint by a few more laps, then the Safety Car arrived and it was the perfect moment for me. »

At the end of the race, while Valtteri Bottas stopped to switch to the soft tires, Hamilton did not follow the same strategy, remaining on the track. A decision which ultimately turns out to be against what Mercedes wanted, as the Englishman explains.

“Why take the risk? continues Hamilton. Yes, I had a pit stop window, but there's entering the pit lane, stopping, the added pressure on the mechanics to make the pit stop.

It's not that I doubt them but it does offer a possibility. I had saved enough on tires. I felt good with it… the hard tire was really great, he could keep going. So it's a very, very strong tire.

I had blisters, so I was hesitant. I was like, “Should I stop?” ". I think it would have brought us and Valtteri closer together. There were only seven rounds left. It's very difficult to close a gap of 21 seconds considering the pace I had.

This is why I decided, it's rare, to go against the advice of the team but I decided today that it was the best thing to do for me. »

On his new record on his land, Hamilton thus overtaking Jim Clark and Alain Prost, the Briton does not hide his joy. " It's incredible, exclaims the world champion.

I came here this weekend and heard people talking about how many poles I had here but I wasn't paying attention. I'm just trying to do my best and see if I can succeed. But it's good to be able to seize the opportunity. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the British Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents at Silverstone, in AUTO issue 2225hebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.