Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton was quick to thank Mercedes after the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, with the Briton having claimed fourth in his first race using the team’s new concept.
Hamilton enjoyed a very positive weekend at the Circuit de Monaco, despite having faced multiple scares during qualifying on Saturday.
The 38-year-old looked solid throughout free practice yet seemed to struggle to hook-up a lap during qualifying, with him having come worryingly close to being eliminated in both Q1 and Q2.
He ultimately qualified sixth but was promoted to fifth following a penalty for Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton having admitted after qualifying that his “heart was in my mouth”.
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“I struggled to get temperature into my tyres in the session, so it was always that last, last lap where I managed to pull something out,” Hamilton told the media after qualifying.
“My heart was in my mouth because there could have been a yellow flag, a red flag, who knows, and I’m grateful for the lap we got.”
Hamilton remained in fifth for almost the entire race on Sunday but was able to overtake Carlos Sainz for fourth in the closing stages, due to the Spaniard having spun at Mirabeau as a result of a sudden downpour.
The 103-time race winner used all his talent to navigate the sudden treacherous conditions, with him having quickly closed up on Esteban Ocon for third.
Hamilton couldn’t find a way past the Frenchman though, leaving him to finish fourth.
It was still the Briton’s first top-five since the Australian Grand Prix, with the Mercedes driver having been delighted with the strong haul of points the team achieved after having worked so hard to get the new concept ready.
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“I’m really happy. We moved forwards and, coming into the weekend, I didn’t know where we would stand,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“So to come out fourth and fifth, it was really great points for the team. It’s a huge thank you to everyone back at the factory for pushing and bringing those upgrades.
“There’s so much work to bring those here and we kept in one piece and we brought it home. We beat the Ferraris, we really got some good points today as a team.”