© Finn Pomeroy for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
In the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton criticised his team over the radio saying: “You guys put me in a really difficult position“.
Lewis Hamilton finished the Australian Grand Prix in P4, but he could have finished higher were it not for a Safety Car that benefited his team-mate George Russell.
Hamilton, who was ahead of Russell at the time, was pitted one lap before the Safety Car was deployed, which allowed George to go in for a ‘free pit stop’.
In the closing stages of the race, Hamilton managed to get very close to Russell again, but then suddenly backed off.
After the Briton told his race engineer Peter Bonnington that the team “put me in a really difficult position“, many thought it meant that he was told not to attack Russell.
However, after the race Lewis revealed what the message actually meant.
“Well I couldn’t fight with them because the engine was overheating, I had to back off,” Hamilton said.
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“So I just had to sit behind, but we bagged as many points as we can as a team and that is great.”
Ultimately, Lewis says he is very happy that the team managed to snatch an unexpected P3 and P4.
“It is a great result for us as a team. Honestly, this weekend we have had so many difficult moments with the car.
“So to get ourselves fifth and sixth in qualifying, to have progressed as we have and to have the reliability, we definitely didn’t expect to have a third and fourth.
“George did a brilliant job today. I saw a bit of the battle of him racing Perez, I wish I could have been in it.
“But nonetheless we will take these points and keep pushing,” Hamilton concluded.
