Lewis Hamilton reckons had he started the F1 Hungarian GP higher up, he would have been in a better position to race Max Verstappen.
Mercedes’ Hamilton faced DRS issues on Saturday in F1 Hungarian GP which he reckons may have limited his chances to race Red Bull’s Verstappen. After Ferrari faced issues, the German pair were in a bright spot to claim podium positions.
Early leader Charles Leclerc faded away along with Carlos Sainz, Hamilton came through and even passed his teammate George Russell to be second behind Verstappen. The Brit thought he would have been closer to the Dutchman but it wasn’t to be.
“We would definitely have been closer to Max, I would have thought,” said Hamilton. “But who knows? Maybe I wouldn’t have been able to go the same distance on those tyres. And who knows? But if we had started, where I think we probably should have started, without the problem in qualifying, I think then we would have been in a much better place to race Max today, yeah.
“I would say probably that second stint. Going longer in that second stint, giving me the option to then go to the softer tyre at the end. That offset that I enabled myself to get. I think probably the race was lost probably with the first stint, with that Medium tyre, but then towards the second and the third part of the race was pretty epic,” summed up Hamilton.
But despite the second place finish, it was satisfying for Hamilton considering it was a his second straight podium and the one he shared with teammate Russell. “It’s hugely satisfying,” he said. “It’s a great feeling for us, given the year we’ve had, and obviously to see the progress that we’ve started to make. Last week, just getting the second place last week was huge for us already, and this is already, now two races in a row that George and I have shared a podium, which is fantastic for the team, points-wise.
“To both finish ahead of the Ferraris is huge for us, given the pace that they’ve had. And, for me, obviously, starting the race in seventh and getting up here is a great recovery. And I think given the troubles we had through the weekend, that shows that we’ve got really great pace,” summed up Hamilton.