Portuguese Grand Prix – Hamilton: “I want to dedicate this victory and this record to the whole team”

Lewis Hamilton (1st): « I want to dedicate this victory and this record to the whole team »

It’s a day to remember! Lewis Hamilton today wins his 92nd Formula 1 Grand Prix, surpassing the benchmark set by Michael Schumacher. The British driver enters the F1 hall of fame by becoming the driver with the most victories to his name.

At the microphone of Martin Brundle, Hamilton thanks his team and talks about his record: « I want to dedicate this victory and this record to the whole team present here and those at the factory. They have innovated and pushed boundaries to bring us ever higher. It’s a privilege to work with them. I am grateful for the reliability and performance we have at Mercedes. »

He also explains that without his opponents, he could not have reached such a level:

« They keep pushing us, we are not sitting still, we continue to improve the car. »

Finally, the new record holder for F1 victories concluded with a few words about his race:

« Today was a difficult race, the temperature was the problem, and we were able to manage it. The first laps were complicated with a few drops of rain at the start. I had massive oversteer, so I backed off and Valtteri passed. I thought I would have the opportunity to attack him again later. It was really tense at the start, plus I had a cramp in my right leg. »

Valtteri Bottas (2nd): “I didn’t really have any pace.”

By finishing second in this Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas admitted that the lack of pace was fatal for him despite a good first lap:

« The first lap was very complicated, there was drizzle which made the task difficult. I was very happy to take the lead at the start of the race but after that, I didn’t really have rhythm. I don’t know why, but no rhythm. I was pushing hard, but I couldn’t overtake him. »

The Finn wanted to opt for a different strategy from his teammate but doesn’t know if it would have paid off: “I was hoping to extend my first stint and switch to soft tires at the end of the race, but I don’t think it would have made a difference.”

Max Verstappen (3rd): « I had very little grip during the race »

The Red Bull driver who started third had a complicated race and a collision on the first lap with Perez. « I tried to stay out of trouble, I had a little contact with Sergio because he didn’t leave me enough space ». After this contact, the gap with the Mercedes was too large and he couldn’t make up the lost ground.

Verstappen explains that he had very little grip during the race. I tried to keep the car on the track. I ran my own race, but the gap was already too big so we couldn’t do anything. He remains satisfied with his third place: We finished where we deserved to be, concludes the Dutchman.