How Lewis Hamilton’s Perseverance Through ‘Game Over’ F1 Moment Influenced Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton finally cracked a smile in Barcelona, as he celebrated a fifth place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix. Well, 5th is not the result the Briton wanted, but he will be satisfied with it after the crash he had with Kevin Magnussen on lap 1. After the collision, his comments on the radio sounded like he was dejected, but he bounced back in style.

The seven-time world champion often looked like he was just going through the motions over the first few races of the season. But he showed his worth on a tough afternoon in Spain, which even made him the driver of the day. That’s what champions do. They come back from the jaws of defeat and perform strongly despite things not going their way.

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He could have even finished 4th, but cooling issues meant he had to give up his place to Carlos Sainz. Toto Wolff was certainly pleased to see his veteran driver performing. He revealed his thoughts on Hamilton’s show and praised his mentality.

Toto Wolff praises Lewis Hamilton’s mentality

With upgrades in place for Spanish GP, Hamilton had a solid qualifying, but his crash early in the race put him in a spot of bother. In fact, he lost all his hopes as he bemoaned on the radio. “I would save this engine, guys, if I was you. I’m sorry,” the Brit said.

However, he came back from 20th position to 5th, which was unexpected. Toto Wolff was clearly happy and applauded Hamilton’s efforts during the race.

The Austrian stated, “The dynamic between the driver and team is something that is so important. And it’s clear. You’re having an accident at the early stage of the race, and you’re saying to yourself, ‘Not again…’ and you’re not featuring because I think he was 38 seconds or so behind the last cars after his stop.”

“That’s basically game over. But him continuing and then showing this very good pace was important. It was not only his morale, but also our morale.”

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton Reveals Tear-Jerking Reason Behind Lack of Focus at Spanish GP

It is easy to forget the team’s contribution to his comeback. They had a part to play, which in turn pushed the Mercedes driver to perform. Is it fair to say Lewis Hamilton is back to his best after a rough start? We will have to wait to get the answer to this.