Brazil GP: Hamilton believes his mistake cost him the victory against Rosberg

The victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix was decided on the 27th lap, when Lewis Hamilton, on his last lap before pitting, made a mistake in turn 4? The Brit thinks so.

On the attack to come out ahead of Nico Rosberg, Hamilton was clocking fast laps and seemed in a position to achieve his goal. However, by sliding, he lost nearly ten seconds: « I think in the end, it cost me the victory. I was much faster up to that point, and on that lap, I was a second faster while Nico was in the pits, » he explained to Autosport.

While this season, the two men have often pitted one lap after the other, Mercedes informed the 2008 World Champion that he could push for a second lap: « I thought I was going to pit at the end of this lap, and on the next lap, I had nothing left [in the tires]. Finally, I locked the rear tires at turn 4, and as I turned, it caused me to make a mistake; it’s the second time this weekend: it’s entirely my fault. »

Lewis Hamilton’s lead has been reduced to 17 points with one Grand Prix remaining, Abu Dhabi, which will be worth 50 points to the winner. To win the title, the Briton will need to finish 1st or 2nd.

On the German side, precisely, the victory comes after the United States Grand Prix during which he was unable to keep Hamilton behind him: « Austin was a difficult race for me, and it was important for me to improve. I didn’t do enough of the work during the race [in the United States]. Today, I managed to do that. I’m happy about it: I learned from Austin and did better, so it’s a big step in the right direction. »

« It was a great race with Lewis right behind me, and I had to make sure the gap was such that there was no chance for him to pass me, unlike in Austin, which was good. » He knows he’ll have his chance for the title: « It’s still possible. I need to keep going like this. »