Lewis Hamilton has given his honest verdict on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after George Russell claimed victory.
The Ferrari driver came home in sixth place, some 22 seconds behind Russell, who closed the gap to Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton felt his race was “pretty bad,” as he failed to move up on the grid from where he started.
“I mean, it just didn’t really go anywhere. I couldn’t keep up with the guys ahead, and I was struggling to keep the guys behind. Just lacking pace today”, he told Sky Sports.
The British driver explained he could not get the tyres going throughout the practice sessions and qualifying on Friday.
He said: “I weaved, and weaved, and weaved, and the tyres just wouldn’t switch on.
“And in the race, I think probably at the end of the first stint, the tyres all of a sudden started to like switch on and start working.
“Then I started to do like the same time as everyone ahead, or at least a couple of the guys ahead. Then we switched to the next tyre, and it wouldn’t switch on [till the end] of the race, so I was just sliding around.”
Lewis Hamilton has given his honest verdict on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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Hamilton was quizzed on the ongoing situation at Ferrari, amid rumours that Christian Horner could be joining the Scuderia.
Regarding where the team was heading, Hamilton backed his relationship with team principal Fred Vasseur, saying the team just needs to “keep trying”.
His former employers, Mercedes, continued to enjoy another strong race, with Russell beating Max Verstappen in a tight finish to win his third Grand Prix of the season.
The British driver sent a message to his teammate Antonelli, who finished fifth, saying: “The pressure is all on you.”
Hamilton felt his race was ‘pretty bad’ for him
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Commenting on how he viewed his performance, Russell continued: “I never lost that faith in myself. Even through the tough moments, I knew there were reasons. It was not like I had forgotten how to drive.
“I knew I could find the performance, I just had to be patient. And now I feel I can fight for victory week in, week out. It was the most dominant weekend I have had in my career.
“I didn’t really consider myself in this (championship) fight for a number of races, purely because my performance was not strong enough.
“Now, I feel if the season started today, I would very much be able to fight. I have got this big deficit. But it can change quickly. I am not chasing that. I am chasing a win at every race. And what will be, will be.”
George Russell said the pressure is on his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli
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Antonelli could not replicate the incredible feat of winning from 19th like in Monza earlier this month.
The Italian’s gap at the top was closed by 15 points, as he explained his plan to keep out of harm’s way during the race.
The 20-year-old said: “I was driving a bit like my grandmother today.
“I was taking no risks and making sure what I did was done without damage. It was about saving points. But it wasn’t the usual Kimi. I was only at 80 per cent.”
