Hamilton: No qualms over Maldonado move in the European Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton said he had no qualms about trying to fend off Pastor Maldonado as his tyres fading at the end of the European Grand Prix - even though the battle culminated in a collision that left the McLaren in the barriers
Hamilton was holding second behind Fernando Alonso's Ferrari before running out of tyre grip.
Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen overtook him, and Williams's Maldonado was trying to do likewise when he hit the McLaren on the penultimate lap.
"My tyres were gone," said Hamilton. "I don't know where I would have finished. Over the last lap or so, my tyres just went - it was almost like I had flat tyres at the back."
But asked whether he felt in retrospect he should have let Maldonado go, Hamilton replied: "You never let people past, you've got to race for every position you can get."
The Briton declined to comment in detail on the collision. Maldonado was adamant that Hamilton was at fault for not giving him more space.
"I don't really know what happened, if I'm honest," said Hamilton. "I went into the corner and I didn't come out.
"It happened so fast, I really do not remember what happened. All I remember is sitting in the wall with only a lap to go."
He added: "You put your heart and soul into some things, and when you don't get the results that you feel you worked for, it's very tough, but that's life."
The Valencia result dropped Hamilton from first to third in the standings, 23 points behind race winner and new championship leader Alonso, but the McLaren driver was relieved that he was not the only one to lose ground in Spain.
"It does change a lot, we lost a lot of points today, but fortunately for us a couple of the others that were fighting as well - including Sebastian [Vettel] - weren't able to score either," said Hamilton. "But it does make things a little bit tougher."
Hamilton had been ahead of Alonso until a slow second pitstop. Although McLaren has had several pitstop issues this season, Hamilton defended his team.
"I think we did the fastest pitstop of the whole season in our first pitstop and were a little bit unfortunate in the second."
But he reckons McLaren does need to find more speed from its car, as despite holding second for so long, he did not think victory was ever possible.
"We were a long, long way off today," said Hamilton. "We've got a lot of work to do to try and pick up the pace because we were really struggling today."
Previous article
Sergio Perez laments Sauber's poor qualifying form in Valencia
Next article
Kovalainen says Vergne crash a "rookie error" by the Frenchman
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Drivers | Lewis Hamilton , Pastor Maldonado |
Why Bottas feels the time has come to be “more selfish”
We’ve seen five distinct versions of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes as he’s tried to fulfil his own ambitions while being a consummate team player – two difficult, competing missions which have been challenging to reconcile. Speaking exclusively to STUART CODLING, Bottas explains his highs and lows… and why he still believes he can be world champion
Does Aston have a case in F1 2021’s big technical row?
Aston Martin claims Formula 1’s latest technical tweaks have cost it competitiveness – and that it’s the innocent victim of a regulatory stitch-up aimed at pegging back Mercedes. But is any of this actually true? It depends on who you ask, says STUART CODLING
How long can F1 2021's brewing title battle stay clean?
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been evenly matched so far in the 2021 Formula 1 title race. Neither has been afraid to get aggressive against each other on track, teeing up an enthralling contest as the year unwinds. But is their rivalry destined to end in broken shards of carbon fibre?
What the Spain result tells F1 about the next phase of the Mercedes/Red Bull title fight
OPINION: Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have recovered from their pre-season woes to take three wins from the opening four races of 2021. But each time Red Bull and Max Verstappen have pushed them hard. So, what clues did the latest round of that battle – the Spanish Grand Prix – tease about the next stage of the season?
How Brabham’s one-hit wonder was boxed into a corner
The Brabham BT46B raced once, won once, then vanished – or did it? STUART CODLING reveals the story of the car which was never actually banned…
The changes Barcelona needs to provide a modern-day F1 spectacle
Formula 1’s visits to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya over recent years have been met with familiar criticisms despite tweaks here and there to the track to improve racing. With the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix largely going the same way, proper solutions need to be followed to achieve F1’s wider targets
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Often described as Formula 1's laboratory, the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona gave the clearest demonstration yet of the pecking order in 2021. And it's the key discrepancies from that order which illuminate who is excelling, and who needs to hit the reset button
How Red Bull’s deja vu set Hamilton on the winning path in Spain
An aggressive first corner move from Max Verstappen appeared to have set the Red Bull driver on course for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. But canny strategy from Mercedes - combined with the absence of Red Bull's number two from the lead group - allowed Lewis Hamilton to pull off a demoralising reversal
