Lewis Hamilton has hailed his Hungarian Grand Prix win as “probably one of the most important” in his Formula 1 career as it brings him back into play in the drivers’ championship.
The Briton had taken three podium finishes prior to this win, but his first victory of the season and for new team Mercedes had so far alluded him, whilst team-mate Nico Rosberg had two.
A controlled victory, which he admits came as a surprise, means he’s now just 48 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel.
“This is probably one of the most important wins of my grand prix career,” he said after the race. “To move to a new team and to win for Mercedes-Benz is a real privilege.
“The guys have done an exceptional job, I’m so glad I’m part of the team and I really couldn’t be happier. I hope there’s many more to come.”
The victory, and the fact that they won despite having never tested the new Pirelli tyres, has given the 28-year-old confidence for future races.
“We’ve got to work hard. You never know how well the tyres are going to last elsewhere but if we can come here and make our tyres last then we should be able to do it anywhere so fingers crossed.
“We studied a lot last night, we were hoping that the tyres would work for us and we really had no idea it was going to go that well. The last 20 laps I was just managing the tyres and cruising.”
