Lewis Hamilton expressed immense satisfaction after securing his first Grand Prix podium finish of the year, marking a significant boost for both himself and the Mercedes team.
Reflecting on the achievement, Hamilton said, “Yes. Big, big boost to finally get a good result. It’s been a minute since I’ve been up here in the race.
“A huge, huge thank you to the team who have done an amazing job just with all the processes through the race weekend, but particularly, everyone back at the factory for working so hard the extra long hours to bring components to the car. And we’re slowly, slowly getting closer.”
Despite the success, Hamilton remained cautious, acknowledging that while the team has made progress, there is still a gap to close to McLaren and Red Bull.
“Last year we were very fast here, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt.
“But obviously, the last couple of races, we’ve also been relatively competitive. So, I think we have closed the gap a little bit, but we still have a good couple of attempts to try and find. So, we just got to have all hands on deck and keep pushing.”
When asked if the current performance gains were due to fine-tuning the new package or if more upgrades were necessary, Hamilton was clear that further enhancements were needed.
“No, I think that’s the maximum it’s got at the moment. But I mean, we’re always fine-tuning it with subtle changes that we make. So, we are always fine-tuning it when we continue to tune it through the year. But we need to bolt some stuff on, some extra bits to be able to compete with these guys.”
Hamilton also addressed a key moment in the race, involving overtaking Carlos Sainz at turn 1 on lap 19. Sainz had expressed displeasure with the first move, feeling he was pushed off the track.
The seven-time World Champion defended his actions, saying, “I mean, it’s never a good thing ever to feel.
“It’s not a good feeling when you do get overtaken. And I think we had a nice, tight battle into Turn 1. I left him some room, so I think he was still on the track. But ultimately, he left the door open on the inside. He didn’t fully close it. And so, I went for the inside and tried to make the corner. I think he came around. I think we touched wheels equally and nothing major. It was like a small scrub. Gave him some room on the exit and yeah.”
Looking ahead, Hamilton is optimistic about Mercedes’ momentum and consistency.
The Brit knows continuously performing well in qualifying is the key to big results. Spain was only the second time this season he has outqualified George Russell in the standard session.
“We’re definitely getting more consistent.
“And if I can just get my qualifying to be like this weekend, then it makes the Sunday so much easier. Also, if you get a good start. But my Saturdays have been so bad for the last 15 races. So, it’s good to have a clean weekend. And hopefully, this puts us in a good position to challenge in the next few races.”
