Lewis Hamilton in ‘disbelief’ over Azerbaijan win

Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he was in "disbelief" following his win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Mercedes.

Hamilton started the race on the front row of the grid alongside Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and ran in second place for the majority of the race, dropping down to third place after pitting on lap 23. 

With his team-mate Valtteri Bottas leading the way at the front of the pack with the aim of pitting onto ultrasoft tyres for his final stint, Hamilton looked set to finish in a minimum of third place.

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When the Safety Car was deployed late in the race following a collision between Red Bull team-mates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, the battle for the win was opened up, with a large portion of the field pitting for a set of fresh Ultrasoft tyres for what would be a sprint to the finish.

When the green flag waved on lap 47 of 51, Hamilton moved into second, overtaking Vettel who locked up into Turn 1 when trying to regain the lead from Bottas.

With a handful of laps to go, the first Mercedes 1-2 of 2018 was set to happen, but when Bottas ran over a piece of debris and picked up a left-rear puncture, Hamilton was promoted to the top spot, taking a surprise win in Baku, his first at the venue and of 2018, to take the lead in the Drivers' Championship.

“I never give up and I think today was a real… It has been a while since I’ve been reminded of that lesson my Dad taught me years and years ago," Hamilton told Sky Sports post-race.

"But I kept going, I kept pushing, kept pushing and then things turned out the way they did and that was coming to the realisation of just how true still that mindset needs to be and is.

"The Ferraris were faster than us all weekend and Valtteri [Bottas] did an exceptional job and really, after that safety car, deserved to win the race. He had done everything he needed to.

"But I was thinking to myself, I’m going to try and get him but this is a great 1-2 for the team but then things shifted and we came out in the head so it was very mixed emotions.

"One, I'm grateful for the opportunity to win a grand prix and secondly, on the other side, feeling that I didn’t drive the way I normally feel like I’ve driven so that hurts a little bit within my heart because, it’s not like I’m focused anywhere else but, I struggled this weekend so got some work to do but I still can go home on a high note and take this hopefully into the next race.”

With the Azerbaijan Grand​ Prix marking his first race win since the 2017 United States Grand Prix, Hamilton was asked if the fight for the championship is going to be an emotional rollercoaster for 2018.

“It is [going to be an emotional rollercoaster] and today was another example of that," he said.

"I mean, I’m coming out of the last corner and I’m just in disbelief that the position I was in was just very very emotional for me.

"Being that in previous years here I’ve been in the lead, done everything I’ve needed to do and something went against me and then it just… I said this morning I think it was or yesterday, maybe third time lucky and it really really was that scenario today.

"This happens to be a track where luck… You kind of need it, you know, because there are a lot of safety cars and a lot of incidents that go on. So on one side, I’m really proud that I just kept on going, the guys did an exceptional job with the pit stops and strategy so yeah, a big thank you to them,” he added.