Hamilton explains why he defied Mercedes in France
Hamilton explains why he defied Mercedes in France
Lewis Hamilton said his refusal to accept anything other than the very best led him to ignore Mercedes' guidance during the French Grand Prix and push for the fastest lap right at the end of Sunday's dominant victory at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Hamilton won the race by 18 seconds from Valtteri Bottas and tried to take the extra point for fastest lap on his final tour of Paul Ricard, despite being informed that Sebastian Vettel had pitted from fifth to fit soft tyres and go for it.
With hards fitted, Hamilton did indeed set a new fastest lap, and Vettel was only able to top it by two hundredths, later claiming a battery issue had hampered him slightly.
Speaking to race engineer Pete Bonington after the race, Hamilton said: "You can never have a defeatist mind," to which Bonington replied that that team would learn from the moment.
Commenting on it post-race, Hamilton said: "I think you should never give up and never be complacent and just think no it's not possible.
"An extra point was available. Naturally the guys can't know how I feel in the car, but I felt like I had a little bit left in the tyres, and there was only one more lap.
"I was, 'I'm going to go for it man, let's go for it.' Even during the lap they were saying, 'Don't worry, he's got new tyres, there no way you're going to beat him.' As crazy as a driver is, I thought maybe I could get there.
"I didn't realise I'd be so close – there's things I could have done to make it happen. I don't think he had a perfect lap, I don't think he had full deployment, or something like that. I think that's a learning for us, never take things for granted and continue to push."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Verstappen admits Red Bull 'DESERVED' horror China qualifying
- 26 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Verstappen suffers MAJOR China defeat as F1 star LOSES pole after FIA intervention
- 53 minutes ago
FIA announce crucial top three UPDATE in China after investigating F1 star
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton DELIGHTED with Mercedes pace after China masterclass - Top three verdict
- 2 hours ago
F1 sprint races: How do they work and what are the changes for 2024?
- 2 hours ago
- 6
EXCLUSIVE: 'Sports should be above' politics claims F1 icon
- 3 hours ago
Related news
Hamilton makes STUNNING claim on F1 future amid Ferrari contract uncertainty
Brundle questions Ferrari Hamilton decision with Vettel comparison
EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton to Ferrari 'a big risk' according to McLaren driver
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
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