Hamilton Celebrates Podium Return: Good to Be Back

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion and Formula One record holder, expressed his joy at returning to the podium after a prolonged absence on Sunday. Hamilton secured third place at the Spanish Grand Prix, marking his first podium finish since the Mexican Grand Prix in October 2023 and extending his record to 198 career podium appearances.

Hamilton’s strong performance in the race followed a notable qualifying session, a significant improvement in a season where he had been outperformed by his teammate George Russell 8-1 before arriving in Catalonia. Despite this resurgence, Hamilton downplayed the likelihood of securing a final victory with Mercedes this season. However, he remained optimistic about the team’s progress since Red Bull’s dominance began with the F1 technical changes two years ago.

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Reflecting on his near-miss for an eighth world title, Hamilton commented, “It’s a big boost to finally get a good result and to be back up here.” He also noted the team’s gradual improvement, saying, “We are slowly getting closer. We have to take it with a pinch, but I do think we have closed the gap a little bit. It’s all hands on deck (back at the Mercedes factory) and we have to keep pushing. We have to keep fine-tuning the car, but we are definitely building momentum.”

Hamilton acknowledged his recent struggles in qualifying, which had plagued him for the past 15 races, and welcomed the change: “My Saturday has been so bad for the past 15 races, it’s good to have a clean weekend.” 

Looking ahead to his upcoming switch to Ferrari, Hamilton reflected on his long-standing relationship with Mercedes: “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 trajectory the team is on, there are things that I can be proud of being a part of. It would be nice to sign off with a win – but just being consistent at weekends like this is the target.”

Hamilton currently sits eighth in the world championship standings with 70 points, 11 points behind his teammate Russell, who finished fourth in Catalonia. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won Sunday’s race, with Lando Norris in a McLaren taking second place.