How Hamilton's Spanish GP charge helped overcome Abu Dhabi demons

Lewis Hamilton has revealed how his Spanish Grand Prix comeback helped overcome the difficulties he has faced since the controversial season-ending Abu Dhabi GP last year.

The Mercedes driver was denied a record-breaking eighth F1 world championship in dramatic circumstances last term when Max Verstappen made a last-lap overtake for the title.

The procedures used in the late safety car that led to the last-lap shootout were heavily scrutinised, with Mercedes having two protests thrown out by the FIA post-race.

Hamilton went silent until just weeks before the W13 was launched for the current season, with questions arising surrounding his future over the winter months.

Since the start of this campaign, the Silver Arrows have struggled for pace in comparison to Ferrari and Red Bull and through a mixture of safety car misfortune and a lack of comfort with the car, Hamilton finds himself trailing team-mate George Russell in the 2022 standings.

But at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Hamilton rolled back the years when fighting back from 19th on lap one to fifth by the end of the race having made contact with Kevin Magnussen on the first lap.

"Since the last race of the year, it has definitely been difficult all around," conceded Hamilton.

"To then have the difficulties with the car and have constant knock-backs with safety cars and those sorts of things, not really much fortune... but just keep getting back on the horse, keep pushing and never giving up.

"To start the race positive and then have that problem and then to come back, it felt like some of the olden days and older races that I have done. For me, that feels amazing."

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