Lewis Hamilton commends his former team, McLaren, for an outstanding second-place achievement at the British Grand Prix.
In awe of the performance, the Mercedes driver hailed the MCL60, which underwent substantial upgrades during the Austrian GP, as a formidable “rocket ship.” Hamilton expressed his admiration during the cool-down lap after being unable to surpass his fellow British competitor in the closing stages of the race, which saw a Safety Car intervention.
Lando Norris, equipped with Hard tires for the final push towards the checkered flag, found himself vulnerable to the Soft-clad Silver Arrow lurking behind him.
Hamilton made valiant attempts to overtake his rivals as he attacked into the challenging turns of Brooklands and Luffield on multiple occasions. However, despite his relentless efforts, he couldn’t successfully execute the maneuver before his softer tires started to show signs of wear and tear, eventually reaching their limit.
“A big congratulations to Lando and McLaren,” said Hamilton, who rose from seventh on the grid to complete the podium.
“It was my family, it is where I first started. So to see them back up there, looking so strong… that thing was rapid through high-speed corners. Wow, I couldn’t keep up.
“We had a good little battle on the restart.
“Once he went through Turns 13, 14 and 15, he was gone. We had good performance in low-speed, we had a good little battle but I just didn’t have the grunt on the straights.
“But to start seventh and come third is a mega job. A big thank you to my team – great pit stops and great work all weekend.”
Hamilton’s remarkable recovery effort faced a turbulent beginning when he was forcefully pushed off-track at Village during the opening lap, causing him to slip behind Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, ultimately landing in ninth position.
However, fortune favored Hamilton as the Safety Car was deployed to address Kevin Magnussen’s stranded Haas. This opportune timing presented an opportunity for a strategic pit stop, catapulting Hamilton ahead of Oscar Piastri’s second McLaren.
The outcome ignited an ecstatic response from the Silverstone crowd as two British drivers joined race victor Max Verstappen on the prestigious podium.
Hamilton, acknowledging the overwhelming support, credited the electrifying atmosphere as the driving force behind his remarkable achievement, securing a spot in the top three.
“Once again, Silverstone put on an amazing show, we have got the greatest crowd here, so a big thank you to everyone for supporting,” added the seven-time World Champion.
“I felt the energy, the support, which is the reason we got back up there.
“The start wasn’t great for me but the long run on the Medium was really great, so I think this is a good positive for us as a team to know that we’re not that far away.
“We have got to keep on pushing and we can catch those guys up front.”
The Brits delivered