ON-TRACK REACTIONS: Hamilton happy with "bonus" win due to Ferrari faults

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ON-TRACK REACTIONS: Hamilton happy with "bonus" win due to Ferrari faults
The Hungarian Grand Prix went swimmingly for Lewis Hamilton on Sunday afternoon as he won from pole to flag in relatively comfortable fashion, and believes the victory is a "bonus" for Mercedes due to the fact they expected Ferrari to be much stronger than they showed.
Hamilton's main rival for the victory towards the end of the race proved to be Sebastian Vettel, but the German's assault on the race was hampered by a slow pitstop which allowed the Mercedes man to open up the margin of his lead.
The Brit reckons the win should be treated as a "bonus" as they took advantage of Ferrari's mistakes in a race in which the Italian manufacturers were considered strong favourites.
"We came here knowing Ferrari would be really quick this weekend so to come out with these points, we'll definitely take it as a bonus," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
"It was so hot. I was able to manage the pace.
"I'm really happy with how strong its come the last couple of races. We've got to come strong in the next half."
READ MORE: Hamilton heads on holiday with big lead after Vettel strategy fails
READ MORE: Verstappen out of Hungarian GP as Red Bull suffer ANOTHER engine failure
Mercedes impressed in qualifying on Saturday and started the race with the top two positions on the grid, with Valtteri Bottas joining his partner in the front row in P2.
Vettel, who eventually finished second, admitted he previously thought the Ferraris would catch up quickly, but that P2 proved to be the best he could hope for.
"It was a tough race," said Vettel.
"We were out of position. I think we could have gone with Lewis today with the race pace. P2 is not really what we wanted this weekend but I think it was the maximum today."
These comments were echoed by his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, who finished third. The Finn, too, thinks that Ferrari simply need to move on to the next race with positivity.
"It was the best that we could hope today," Raikkonen confessed.
"Far from an ideal start, we need to improve those a bit to make them a bit easier, then we caught up with Bottas after the first stop but there was no chance to overtake.
"So our option was to stop again and try again. At least we got one place back but far from ideal, I think we had pretty good speed today. But what can you do? Sometimes it's like that, but you take the points and go on to the next one."
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