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Lewis Hamilton thinks that his result from the Malaysian Grand Prix isn't anything to be proud of. The three-time world champion started the race from pole position and kept his lead off the line, fairly safe from those around him as Kimi Raikkonen, who was due to start on the front row, dropped out of the race before it began.
After the first couple of laps however, it was clear that the Mercedes didn't have the pace to pull away from the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. With just four laps of the Grand Prix completed, Hamilton found himself being overtaken by the Dutchman.
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Hamilton couldn't keep up with the 20-year-old and ended up crossing the line at the end of the race 12 seconds behind. Hamilton's rival Sebastian Vettel finished in fourth, which can be considered a strong result after the German started the race from last place.
However, Hamilton claims he is unhappy with the result and the pace of the car. The Silver Arrows have been struggling all weekend and will be hoping for a turnaround in speed next weekend, when Formula 1 travels to Japan for the next round of the championship.
"Considering Vettel started last, it's not really that great to be honest. We should have won today but we didn't have the pace. We knew coming into the race that we didn't have the quickest car, Our deltas showed Ferrari were eight-tenths faster and Red Bull was five or six tenths faster than us and they were.
"There's wasn't really much I could do there. I really had to make a decision when Max was closing down. I had to make the decision to not fight him and risk him coming into me because you know he's going to give it everything whereas I had everything to lose. I didn't make it very hard for him.
"There is a lot of work for us to do. But there's nothing we can do, it's the way the car is. People have been saying all year long that we've got the best car. It's a fact at some races that the car has turned out to be better but overall, globally, I think it's worked out that we've not got the best car."
Fergal Walsh
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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C. Leclerc
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Replies (1)
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Because finishing P2 despite a suboptimal car for this track along with finishing before your main rival is an incredibly bad finish, isnt it?