Hamilton reacts to DSQ: 'That doesn't take away progression'
F1 News
Had the race lasted a few laps longer, Lewis Hamilton believes he would've caught Max Verstappen's Red Bull. For the first time all season, Mercedes could smell victory. Yet at the end of the day, no one sees any of that. In the final classification brought out by the FIA, there is an asterisk by Hamilton's name: disqualified because of an illegal floor.
Hamilton looked back on a Grand Prix that had become mostly a 'what if' story. "We were catching them towards the end, though. I was hopeful that I could, but I just need a couple of more laps. There has been so much work to bring this upgrade here and it was difficult after the last race in Qatar. I really felt like I let the team down, so I had to go through such a deep process to get myself back to here. It's one of those experiences of "it's not how you fall, it's how you get back up". I came here in the mood to fight hard, felt great and I'm really happy with my performance," Hamilton said.
Hamilton positive after Austin
Hamilton remained positive after Austin: "Overall, we still didn't perform optimally today. We had good pace and I was feeling great in the car. It was tough racing those around me as they were so quick, but we can be happy with many things. I feel positive as we're moving forward, even if reflecting on it we could have possibly won today. It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn't take away from the progress we've made this weekend."
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