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James Vowles, motorsport strategy director at Mercedesis impressed by the performance of Lewis Hamilton in Spain. After contact with Kevin Magnussen on the opening lap, his race seemed over, but the Briton fought his way back to fifth.
Hamilton started the Spanish Grand Prix from sixth but became involved in an incident with Kevin Magnussen at turn four of the first lap. The 37-year-old driver suffered a flat tire that forced him into the pits, and fell back to nineteenth place. Hamilton initially suggested giving up because of the desperate situation, but after some encouraging words from his team, the Briton smashed his teeth into the wheel and rode an impressive catch-up race.
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Far beyond the points
“Lewis did a fantastic job,” Vowles said in a debrief video from Mercedes on YouTube. “It’s hard to explain how hard it is when you’re behind, when you’re last, and you’re fighting your way forward without knowing what you’re fighting for. That’s when he saw hardly anyone in front of him and the ones he did see drove well outside the points.”
The ride of a champion
Vowles continues: “And yet he dug deeper and deeper. Each lap got faster and faster. During the first stint he had to build up, but the second and third stints were incredible. His end result is a tribute to his performance: the ride of a champion.” teammate George Russell took third place after battling for a long time with Max Verstappen in Sergio Perez for the lead in the game.
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