Lewis Hamilton has hailed his “best weekend” of 2024 after claiming P3 in the Spanish Grand Prix, behind winner Max Verstappen and the McLaren of Lando Norris.
Hamilton’s record-extending 198th podium finish in F1 at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix had been a long time coming, the seven-time champion having been forced to wait since last year’s Mexico Grand Prix to return to the rostrum.
But recovering from a bad start – which saw team mate George Russell jump from P4 on the grid to take the lead, as Hamilton slipped down one spot to P4 – Hamilton then showed superior pace to Russell, using a soft-medium-soft strategy to ultimately claim P3, five seconds clear of his team mate.
“I feel great, I feel fantastic, I’ve got plenty of energy,” said Hamilton after the race.
After a difficult beginning, making a comeback to reach third place is truly impressive.
I am delighted with how well my second and final stints went. The first stint was more challenging as I was recovering from a tough start. We are improving and narrowing the gap, and I am grateful to the team for their efforts.”
“He mentioned that this has been the best weekend he has experienced all year, and in a long time, possibly around 15 races or so.
He expressed his happiness at being back, enjoying the battles like the one today, and reaffirming his position.” In order to secure third place, Hamilton had to execute daring maneuvers like overtaking Russell and the Ferrari of Sainz. He made an aggressive move on Sainz at Turn 1 during Lap 19 of the race, which resulted in complaints from Sainz over the team radio.
Despite the objections, the stewards chose not to penalize Hamilton for the incident.
Hamilton justified his actions after the race, stating that he believed the move was fair.
He explained that the other driver did not block the inside line, leaving an opening that he took advantage of by making a late move alongside him. Hamilton stated that they were side by side, and he ensured there was enough space for both of them on the track. “They reduced the DRS zone, making it challenging to maintain the position through the final corner.
I needed to execute the maneuver quickly. I gave him a small space while ensuring it was tight and well-executed.” “I believe all the passes were very close, as it should be, right?” He continued, “It was tight and fair, we may have touched wheels.
I gave him room and it was right on the edge…
there was minimal space between us.” “Mercedes has achieved back-to-back podium finishes for the first time since 2023. In that year, they secured podiums in Spain and Canada, but this time they did it in reverse order – first in Canada and then in Spain.”
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