The Mercedes driver finished second in the 2022 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix race after starting seventh after a DRS failure on his final lap of Q3 scuppered his chances of equaling his pole position time. teammate, George Russell.
The #63 finished third, with Max Verstappen taking the victory despite starting tenth.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion believes that although cooler conditions on Sunday helped Mercedes to their second consecutive double podium finish, they could have taken victory had it not been for Saturday’s problems.
“Honestly, I think by being a little bit colder, everything seemed to work out a little better for us. I can’t say exactly why, but I appreciate it,” said Hamilton after the grand prix was over.
“I was hoping it would rain at the end so I could challenge Max [Verstappen], but we ran out of laps,” he continued. “So with a little bit better qualifying, without the DRS problem, I think we would have been in contention for the win.”
“But in any case, I’ve got two second places in a row, I’m very, very happy. So thank you very much to the fans for their incredible support,” added the Englishman.
Hamilton is now sixth in the drivers’ standings, just 10 points behind Carlos Sainz, while Mercedes is just 30 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.
The Briton says he doesn’t know where the speed of the car came from this Sunday, but explained: “I was struggling at the beginning of the race and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to catch up with the [front] drivers.”
“But little by little I have felt more comfortable with the balance of the car, and I have also made a very good start,” he assured. “I want to recognize my team that has continued to give its best, that has never given up throughout this very hard year that we have had so far.”
“For us to be on the podium with both cars twice in a row, it’s very special. And very unlucky for George [Russell] today. The other guys still have a bit of a pace advantage.”
“But clearly we are closing the gap. And this is an amazing way to go into the summer break, knowing we have this performance.”
“Hopefully we’ll bring something else in during the second part of the season and start fighting with the top guys,” Hamilton concluded.
