Hamilton: 'Verstappen didn't have to push too hard'

During the FIA press conference, Hamilton is asked what he can do to beat Verstappen in the race.

"I think Max had a lot of pace in him today and I don’t think he was particularly having to push too hard, and we were flat-out. Tomorrow’s going to be tough. If I can try somehow to keep up with them through the stints, maybe we can apply pressure through strategy – but we’re not going to be overtaking them on the track: they’re just too fast. So, we play the long game hopefully."

Hamilton did not enjoy sprint race

Whether he enjoyed sprint qualifying? "I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it too much – but it’s nice to have more races for sure." Hamilton was also unhappy about his start. "We have a target position that you have to hit with your clutch and that’s what the goal is always to be on target, and I was on target, so I did what I was supposed to do but it didn’t deliver, for whatever reason. I don’t know why."

"I had a lot of wheelspin and the rest is history. I was obviously trying everything to get by. They were just too quick. They were just too fast today," Hamilton said.