Hamilton made last minute changes to "redeem" himself in Spain
Lewis Hamilton made changes to his driving style and his Mercedes Formula 1 car after his laps to the grid in order to "redeem" himself with Spanish Grand Prix victory
Hamilton started the race at Barcelona second on the grid after being comprehensively defeated by team-mate Valtteri Bottas in qualifying on Saturday.
He said he was unhappy with his car's balance over one lap but that it was better in race trim, which combined with some late changes before the start of the race allowed him to convert second on the grid into victory and the championship lead.
"The balance yesterday was a bit of a nightmare, but race pace has generally been quite good for me," said Hamilton.
"I've been really happy, comfortable, generally in the races.
"When we went out to do the laps to the grid I wasn't very happy with the balance still, so I had to make some changes.
"I had to alter my driving style a little bit, but it works well in the race scenario.
"I couldn't go into detail on why it doesn't work on a single lap, and that may take some time.
"Normally with tyres I'm pretty good but I think that's a weak area.
"It's not that I can't do it, I've just got to discover it. That's what I'll put some effort towards."
Hamilton said he needed to "redeem myself from a poor performance" in qualifying and that was his motivation heading into Turn 1 three-wide with Bottas and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
His defeat to Bottas in the previous race in Azerbaijan came after not being as aggressive as he could have been during the first two corners, but Hamilton said that was not a factor as he tried to pass Bottas at the start on this occasion.
"It's respectful and balanced, as we always are," he said. "The team has spoken a bit, Valtteri and I have spoken a bit, that we have the best pairing any team has.
"In terms of how respectful we are - a lot of drivers don't have that respect.
"I think today I was well and truly on the inside [at Turn 1]."
Hamilton said he had gained encouragement by watching the support races and seeing "both sides [of the grid] were quite equal".
His start, combined with Bottas complaining of a clutch problem, allowed him to lead home Mercedes' fifth one-two of the season.
"When the lights went out the initial start was good and it was quite close all the way down to Turn 1," Hamilton said.
"It was a great battle and a decisive moment.
"Once we were round Turn 1 I just had to keep my head down, focus on trying to deliver each lap.
"It was an incredible day for the team."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The driver who can wreck F1's "super exciting" 2020 silly season
Red Bull's Verstappen now has basis for first F1 title challenge
Ferrari: Mick Schumacher a good candidate for seat in Formula 1
Hamilton expects to lose positions if F1 China sprint is dry
Hamilton: Ferrari F1 switch doesn't need "vindicating"
The status factor that made Ferrari impossible for Hamilton to turn down
FIA still chasing answers over bizarre Shanghai F1 grass fires
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Hamilton expects to lose positions if F1 China sprint is dry
Verstappen 'deserves' fourth in China F1 sprint qualifying with wet struggles
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments