Although he failed to finish on the podium at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was delighted with how things turned out for Mercedes considering the issues the team faced over the weekend.
Things got off to a poor start for the Silver Arrows on Friday, as both cars ended FP2 outside the top 10. However, after turning things around in FP3 and qualifying, Mercedes ended the weekend on a high, with George Russell crossing the line third ahead of Hamilton.
Although the seven-time World Champion admits he would have liked to have been part of the fight for third, he was pleased Mercedes brought home what was another unexpected result.
“It’s a great result for us as a team,” said Hamilton to Sky Sports F1. “In this weekend, we’ve had so many difficult moments with the car.
“So to get fifth and sixth in qualifying, and to have progressed like we have… We definitely didn’t expect to have a third and fourth.
“George did a great job today. I got to see a bit of the battle, of him [Russell] racing Perez, and I wish I could have been in it, but nonetheless, we’ll take these points and keep pushing.”
Hamilton’s radio comments draw attention
Hamilton was heard telling his Mercedes team, ‘You guys put me in a really difficult position’ while following Russell in the latter stages of the race.
The seven-time World Champions explained that his comments were related to the fact he was following his teammate too closely, which caused him issues with his engine.
“I couldn’t fight for third because the engine was overheating, so I had to back off and sit behind,” said Hamilton. “But, as I said, we bagged as many points as we could as a team and that’s great.”
