World Champion Lewis Hamilton praised Pierre Gasly after the AlphaTauri driver claimed his maiden victory at Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton controlled proceedings early on in the race but sustained a 10-second stop/go penalty when he entered the pit lane while it was closed during the Safety Car period.
Gasly had stopped shortly before the race was neutralised and was towards the front of the field when the red flag was flown following Charles Leclerc’s hefty accident.
Gasly passed Lance Stroll at the standing restart and then inherited the lead when Hamilton served his penalty.
The AlphaTauri drivers resisted pressure from McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. to take his first victory, doing so on the team’s home soil.
“I need to say a huge congratulations to Pierre because that’s a fantastic result for him,” said Hamilton.
“I’ve seen what he’s been through to see him dropped by the top team now beat the top team.”
Hamilton recovered to finish seventh and still holds a 47-point advantage in the standings.
“My race wasn’t meant to be today but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,” he said.
“It was a long pit stop but once I finally caught everybody I enjoyed that bit of a battle.
“We didn’t do a great job with the pit stop. I didn’t see those boards and take responsibility for that and it’s something I’ll learn from.
“To get seventh and still get the fastest lap is still some good points so I’ll definitely take it.
“And grateful that Max [Verstappen] didn’t score any points, so not a huge loss today.”
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