Mercedes chief admits Hamilton was 'very lucky' to grab Spanish GP podium
Mercedes chief admits Hamilton was 'very lucky' to grab Spanish GP podium
Lewis Hamilton was lucky to step onto the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, according to Mercedes' trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin.
The 38-year-old turned in a monstrous performance to claim his second P2 finish of the season, showing impressive pace compared to the rest of his frontrunning rivals, Verstappen excluded.
READ MORE: F1 fans REACT to Pique tweet as Hamilton and Shakira rumours intensify
Hamilton's afternoon in Barcelona ended with silverware, but it could have ended in disaster following lap-one contact with Lando Norris.
The seven-time champion got the jump on Norris, who started the race P3 on the grid, but the two came together at turn two with Norris suffering front wing damage and Hamilton lucky to escape without a puncture.
Lucking out in Barcelona
Speaking in Mercedes' post-race debrief on YouTube, Shovlin explained: ”We were very, very lucky because the only thing that got damaged was actually the wheel shield.
"And that's a bit that's there for regulatory purposes not actually there for car performance.
”So there wasn't a big knock on and when we made the pit stop you can then put a fresh wheel on with a fresh wheel shield and everything's back to normal."
"So very lucky for Lewis and once we were able to confirm that everything was okay on the data or the aero load looked ok and there was no concerning overloads on the suspension he was able to get his head down and attack the race.”
Hamilton lost momentum due to the contact allowing Lance Stroll to snatch P3, but the legendary Brit fought back before taking P2 from Carlos Sainz and disappearing down the road.
READ MORE: LeBron James to make motorsport HISTORY at Le Mans this weekend
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 3 minutes ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 1 hour ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- 2 hours ago
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 3 hours ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- Today 13:59
Related news
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Fierce rival calls Hamilton F1's GOAT in surprise admission
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
Former F1 chief hits out at Hamilton 'EXCUSES'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860