[Image of Lewis Hamilton celebrating on the podium with Max Verstappen after the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix][Image of Lewis Hamilton celebrating on the podium with Max Verstappen after the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix] Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion and Formula 1 record holder, expressed his joy after finishing on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23, 2024. This was Hamilton’s first podium appearance since the Mexico Grand Prix in October 2023. Hamilton, who is in his final season with Mercedes before moving to Ferrari, finished third in the race, joining the post-race champagne celebrations for the first time in a long spell. He has now made a record 198 career podium appearances. His strong performance came after an excellent qualifying session, where he outperformed his teammate, George Russell, who had outscored him 8-1 in the season up to that point. Hamilton played down the possibility of ending his time at Mercedes with a final victory this season, but expressed optimism that the team was improving after Red Bull’s dominance in recent years. “We are slowly getting closer,” said Hamilton. “We have to take it in stride, but I do think we have closed the gap a bit. “It’s all hands on deck (back at the Mercedes factory) and we have to keep pushing. “We have to keep refining the car, but we are definitely building momentum.” Hamilton also spoke about his upcoming move to Ferrari: “I love Mercedes, I’ve been with them since I was 13. “The job this year is to work as hard as I can, whatever path the team takes, there are things I can be proud to be a part of. “It would be nice to finish with a win, but being consistent on weekends like this is the goal.” In the world championship standings, Hamilton currently sits eighth with 70 points, eleven behind his teammate Russell. Red Bull’s Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix, with McLaren’s Lando Norris finishing second.
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton raises his trophy as he celebrates on the podium with Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen (R) after the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on June 23, 2024 in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona . (Photo by Manaure Quintero / AFP)
Lewis Hamilton may be a seven-time world champion and Formula 1 record holder, but his joy at finally finishing on the podium again after a long, barren spell on Sunday was clearly visible.
The 39-year-old, in his final season at Mercedes before moving to Ferrari, finished third at the Spanish Grand Prix to take part in the post-race champagne celebrations for the first time since Mexico in October 2023 and complete his record 198 career podium appearances.
His upbeat racing form came on the back of an excellent qualifying session after a season in which he was outscored 8-1 by teammate George Russell in Catalonia.
READ: F1: Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton returns to podium
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The moment Lewis deserved a return to the podium
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He played down the prospect of ending his long and successful spell at Mercedes with a final victory this season, but was optimistic that the team had finally emerged from the doldrums since Red Bull took an advantage over their rivals with the change in technical F1 technology. landscape two years ago.
Hamilton, who missed out on a record eighth world title at the final round of the season in controversial circumstances to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi in 2021, said: “It’s a big boost to finally get a good result and be here again to stand. ”
The Briton, who shares the record of six wins in Spain with Michael Schumacher, added: “We are slowly getting closer.
“We have to take it in stride, but I do think we have closed the gap a bit.
“It’s all hands on deck (back at the Mercedes factory) and we have to keep pushing.
“We have to keep refining the car, but we are definitely building momentum.”
READ: F1: ‘One of my worst races,’ says Lewis Hamilton after missing podium
On his recent miserable luck in qualifying until this weekend, he said: “My Saturday has been so bad for the last fifteen races, it’s good to have a clean weekend.”
Speaking about his upcoming move to Ferrari, Hamilton said: “I love Mercedes, I’ve been with them since I was 13.
“The job this year is to work as hard as I can, whatever path the team takes, there are things I can be proud to be a part of.
“It would be nice to finish with a win, but being consistent on weekends like this is the goal.”
Hamilton is eighth in the world championship, with 70 points, eleven behind teammate Russell, who finished fourth in Catalonia.
Red Bull’s Verstappen won Sunday’s race ahead of Lando Norris in a McLaren.
