Lewis Hamilton’s title hopes were given a boost on Sunday despite his failure to win the British Grand Prix from pole thanks to a left-rear tyre failure.
Whilst Hamilton failed to win the race, team-mate Nico Rosberg did – albeit thanks to Sebastian Vettel’s transmission giving up.
However Rosberg managed to stay within three seconds of the Red Bull throughout the race – one of the hardest on tyres – whilst Hamilton was consistently quickest before his issue which dropped him to last, before he fought back to fourth.
Evidently Mercedes have gone some way to resolving their tyre management troubles, which has given Hamilton’s title hopes a much needed boost.
“While there was all this talk about tyres and everything, there are massive positives to take out of this weekend,” said the Briton.
“The team and Nico won, and we got some good points. We are second in the constructors’ championship now, which is a real big plus.
“I am grateful I could come back through the field and get the points that I did, because I am now 43 points off Sebastian and we have a good car.
“We are improving. Just look at the improvements we have made with tyre degradation.”
He isn’t thinking about winning the title just yet, but he knows when things finally fall into place, he might be in a position to do just that.
“I am just trying to stay within shooting distance and stay within the fight. That is all I am focusing on at the moment,” he added.
“I look forward to the next races and I hope we can do something positive. I am sure at some stage my time will come.”
