Lewis Hamilton admitted that he “prayed” for the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan to end, as he admitted that he was “biting” his teeth in pain. The Mercedes star said he “could not express the pain” during the race, but praised the team’s good performance.
He said: “I can’t describe the pain you’re feeling, especially right here. In the end, just pray that it’s over. We are still in such a good position, third and fourth is a great result for the team. The team did a great job with the strategy.
“Once we fix that jump, we’ll be right there in the race. We certainly lose at least a second with the jump. I’ll be in the factory tomorrow, we need to have some good discussions and keep pushing. “
During the race, Hamilton seemed to be shouting, “My back is killing me.”
The seven-time champion has struggled with problems with Mercedes jumping all weekend, claiming after qualifying that his back is in a “real mess”.
READ MORE: Mercedes apologizes to Lewis Hamilton after the Briton was seen in agony
The Silver Arrows benefited from Ferrari’s double retirement as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had problems with the mechanics. This meant that the team was the second fastest car to finish the race and came home after the Red Bull’s.
Hamilton approached Russell in the early stages before losing at the stop stops to lag behind a group of cars. This put an end to all chances to challenge his teammate, but Hamilton managed to secure a fourth to equal his second best result of the season.
Russell’s third place is the third podium of the season for the former Williams man. After the race, he said: “Honestly, I was pleased to see that the race was over. I just break the ground every turn, every lap.
“Quite brutally, I will sleep well tonight. Especially on a track that is usually not too physical. We just have to deal with it and live with it right now. We as drivers have to accept [it].
“There will be no short-term changes, but talks are under way on the long-term future of these provisions. We have many brilliant engineers and intelligent people in this sport. I am sure we will find the right solutions. “
Add Comment