Hamilton amused and Bottas frustrated: contrasting paths at Mercedes
Despite starting from the back of the grid and finishing in fourth place, Lewis Hamilton still attracted the spotlight; to the detriment of his teammate, who was disappointed with his runner-up position at Interlagos.
Once again, Lewis Hamilton experienced an unusual race. After his collision and ninth place in Mexico, the new four-time world champion this time led a comeback operation, starting from the very last spot in the pits. Finishing fourth, the feeling remains very positive:
I was the fastest. I certainly could have taken pole and the victory. But I had an exciting race! I was at 110% the whole race: it was fun!
After having messed up his qualifying session by his own admission, the ex-McLaren driver showed journalists that his motivation remained intact.
« I aimed to correct my mistake from yesterday and make the team proud. I tried to take third place but I didn’t have any tires left at the end. »
But I enjoyed the race. It shows that there is still a lot of fire inside me. I am still young at heart and I have many races left!
Equipped with an old supercharged engine and an optimized aero package, the English hammer quickly overtook the pack. In the top 5 after 20 laps, Hamilton even managed to lead the race until his first pit stop.
« It reminded me of my first karting races: I had a bad machine and I always started from the back. I always fought to get to the front! It was a bit the same here, except obviously, I had a good car! »
Finally, five and a half seconds behind Vettel under the checkered flag, his tire strategy was ultimately the right one: starting on softs and finishing on super-softs. All this for one of the most impressive comebacks of the season!
Take a bow @LewisHamilton…
Now THAT was the drive of a CHAMPION! 👊 #BrazilGP https://t.co/Mx4MmXbAV3
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 12 novembre 2017
A Bottas Left in the Shadow
He could hardly believe in his chances. Those leading to the third victory of his career. Alas for him, they flew away right from the start.
« My problem was the skidding. As soon as I released the clutch, I didn’t have good traction. I looked in my rearview mirror and I couldn’t see him. I guessed he was going to dive inside, which he did. »
Follower thereafter, the former Williams driver was never able to activate the DRS against the Ferrari driver. His most intense moment was certainly exiting the pit lane, in pursuit of Vettel. He was also a second too late there…
« Our pace was similar. Coming out first from T1 would have been a different story… The only goal was victory, so I am disappointed with my race. »
In accounting terms, only a miracle would now allow him to clinch the second place in the championship, 22 points behind Vettel. For the first time since 2014, a Mercedes driver is heading toward third place in the final standings.
A mega fight from our two boys, but this day belonged to @ScuderiaFerrari 👏👏👏 #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/lZ0MpCZfmg
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) November 12, 2017
