Lewis Hamilton explained that contact made with Charles Leclerc during the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix was little more than “just a kiss.”
The Ferrari duo battled for third place at full pelt throughout the race at the Shanghai International Circuit, as the Mercedes duo of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell disappeared into the distance.
Hamilton had taken the lead at the start, but expectedly lost it after a handful of laps, as the Mercedes advantage began to tell.
Despite the order being thrown up slightly by an early Safety Car, Ferrari began to see its limitations again, leaving Hamilton and Leclerc to do battle with each other for the final podium spot.
And that was what they did, with bells on and with gusto. Similar to Saturday’s Sprint race, Hamilton and Leclerc produced some nerve-wracking moments, as the two scarlet cars went wheel to wheel and then some.
The Ferrari pit wall allowed its experienced duo to race, and were vindicated as both finished without incident, with Hamilton edging Leclerc to take his maiden podium for the Maranello-based squad.
After the race, Hamilton admitted that he and Leclerc touched amid their duel, but concluded that “tough racing” is all part and parcel of the sport.
“I think there was one moment we did touch,” he said to David Coulthard in the post-race parc ferme interview, “but it was subtle, just a kiss. So it’s OK.
“But that’s what it’s about. It’s about tough racing.
“And I’ve got to say a huge thank you to everyone at Ferrari, everyone back at Maranello, for getting us into this position.
“I know it’s not exactly where we want to be. We want to be up front, where these guys [Mercedes] are, but we’ve got a great platform to work off, and we’ve just got to literally full gas.”
Hamilton was thrilled to not only break this particular duck with the Scuderia, but also share the podium with former race engineer Peter Bonnington, who stewarded Antonelli to his maiden F1 win.
READ MORE – Kimi Antonelli comes of age to score maiden F1 win with Shanghai masterclass
Discussion about this post