Lewis Hamilton said the whole of last week he spent in Brazil was absolutely unforgettable, moreover it ended with a victorious double from Mercedes.
Q: You and George took a double win for Mercedes, and you managed to recoup perfectly – how would you sum up the Sao Paulo Grand Prix?
Lewis Hamilton: It was an incredible day, an incredible weekend, and in fact it was all week from Monday! And now the dream of our entire team has come true. I think everyone deserved this excellent result, because the team has worked so hard all year, despite the fact that it was a very difficult period.
But we never broke up in hopes of winning again. I am therefore very proud that, despite all the difficulties, we have won the winning double together with the team.
Q: Over the years of your career you have had many victorious doubles in your account, but apparently the taste of success is even sweeter now because you had to overcome so much this year…
Lewis Hamilton: Doubtless. I think every winning double is an incredibly joyous event. Of course they have been in the past, but as they become more regular, you hardly get the feeling that this is a special achievement. And when you finally get back to this level after a period of failure, you understand how great it is, and everyone on our team feels it.
Q: Opponents believe that on this track the Mercedes car was the fastest – in which aspects were you particularly strong?
Lewis Hamilton: To be honest, I don’t even know. Feelings are strange as it is absolutely certain that we have made progress over the season. But maybe the point is also that the rest has passed a bit this weekend? It’s hard to say.
But all weekend the car worked perfectly and very stable, so everything went smoothly, there were no special problems. And we really haven’t prepared any new products, neither for the previous race, nor for this one. I think gradually we understand this car better and we manage to reach the optimal settings.
Q: We can say that your race was somewhat ruined by a collision with Max Verstappen after the first restart. What can you say about what happened?
Lewis Hamilton: I don’t have a specific opinion on this. All I thought at the time was that the car was broken and I should retire. I felt her back’s behavior change somehow. And I was also worried that the team would miss the winning double.
In general, I was riding on the grass, returning to the track and all my thoughts were just about how I could pay for myself. And above all, I was worried about what to do to get back to the first positions. I am therefore very proud of our way of working and of course I would like to congratulate George from the bottom of my heart!
Q: How important is it for the team to get into top shape now, before the winter break?
Lewis Hamilton: Most importantly, we have achieved this result. This will give a powerful boost to the whole team, raise morale. Now the team knows we are on the right track. And Mercedes is still the best team! I think we will be able to play more consistently next year and I am already looking forward to this fight.
Q: Can the progress made by the team towards the end of the season in finishing W13 be considered a good sign on the eve of the 2023 championship?
Lewis Hamilton: This is, of course, a good, very good sign. After working with the machine for such a long period of time, we finally really understood the problem and know how to solve it. It was not easy as we made many attempts and every time something new was discovered. There are still problems, and they were very serious indeed.
But now we know where to focus our efforts over the coming winter.
Q: For you this was the first Grand Prix after getting Brazilian citizenship – what can you say about this subject?
Lewis Hamilton: I have never seen so many people in the stands! All weekend, and especially during the Parade of Pilots, I felt this incredible energy. I’ve been in Brazil all week: Monday I was in the capital of the country, Tuesday in Sao Paulo, Wednesday in Rio and the rest of the days I spent in Sao Paulo again. I met Brazilian children, with Ayrton Senna’s family, and it was an incredible week, I will never forget it, because our team’s winning double was the crowning glory.
Q: Coming back to the clash with Max, the whole year passed without any particular incident for you, but as soon as you got back to the leading group, you immediately became a participant in the accident. Do you think he has a problem with you? And if so, is there any reason to worry that none of this is safe?
Lewis Hamilton: I’m not worried about this. I think it’s only natural that when you’re successful, you kind of become a target for your rivals. So everything is fine. This is nothing new to me.
Q: According to you, after the collision with Max, you were afraid that you would have to stop. Did you feel that the underside of the car was damaged?
Lewis Hamilton: That was yesterday when I hit the debris left on the track after the collision of the cars in front of me, my W13 sustained multiple damage, losing a significant amount of downforce.
But it’s hard for me to talk about the current situation, I didn’t really see which parts of the car took the hit. I thought the right rear wheel had a flat tire and I definitely felt the car’s behavior had changed. But I managed to change some settings with the switches on the handlebars and adjust the balance a bit. I think the car was not in perfect condition, but still we won the winning double.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
