Lewis Hamilton secures his first podium finish of the season, extending his streak to 18 consecutive years with at least one podium finish in Formula 1 racing.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton clinched his first podium finish of the season, securing third place in the Spanish Grand Prix. This achievement extends his impressive record to at least one podium finish in each of the last 18 consecutive years.

Reflecting on the weekend’s events, Hamilton expressed satisfaction with his performance and the team’s efforts. He explained in his post-race interview during the Sky Sports broadcast:

“It has been a good day, a solid weekend. I have to say a big thank you to the team as they have been training so hard.

“The strategy and the pitstops were really on point.”

Despite a less-than-ideal start, where Hamilton experienced a significant setback, losing ground to the Ferrari drivers, his resilience shone through

“Unfortunately I got a really bad start and lost ground to the Ferraris so it was a battle to get back.”

Hamilton also speculated on the potential outcomes had the initial phase of the race gone differently.

“With a better start… I don’t know if we could have held on to the guys ahead but I don’t think we would have been as far behind.”

The result also holds historical significance, adding another chapter to Hamilton’s storied career in the sport.

With an eye on future races, the British driver and his team are poised to build on this success, continuously pushing the boundaries of what they can achieve on the circuit. For fans and spectators, Hamilton’s performance remains a compelling narrative of resilience and expertise in the fast-paced world of Formula 1.

The seven-time champion records his first F1 podium finish since last October after a career-long drought; Hamilton also defends the impressive overtake which frustrated Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz

F1’s most serial podium finisher had not finished in the top three positions of a grand prix for 12 races – the longest drought of his career – but an accomplished drive at Barcelona on Sunday saw him overcome a difficult start to the race to register his 198th rostrum appearance.

Hamilton’s drive included impressive overtakes on Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and, with 15 laps to go, team-mate George Russell, who he had dropped behind when the sister Mercedes had catapulted into the lead at the start.

Asked about the significance of the result for him and the team after a difficult year so far, Hamilton said: “Yes, big boost to finally get a good result.

“It’s been a minute since I’ve been up here in the race. So a huge, huge thank you to the team who have done an amazing job to… Just with all the processes through the race weekend, but particularly everyone back at the factory for working so hard the extra-long hours to bring components to the car. and we’re slowly getting closer

“I mean last year we were very fast here, but you have to take it with a pinch of salt, but obviously the last couple of races we’ve also been relatively competitive.

“So I think we have closed the gap a little bit but we still have a good couple of tenths to try and find. So we’ve just got to have all hands on deck and keep pushing.”

A series of consistent car upgrades have improved Mercedes’ fortunes in recent races and at the last two events they have been ahead of Ferrari, who started the year as Red Bull’s closest challengers and remain second in the Constructors’ Championships.

But Red Bull and McLaren remain a further step ahead, as evidenced by Sunday’s race.

“We’re definitely getting more consistent,” said Hamilton.

“And if I can just get my qualifying to be like this weekend, then it makes the Sunday so much easier. Also, if you get a good start.

“But my Saturdays have been so bad for the last, like, 15 races. So it’s good to have a clean weekend. And hopefully, this puts us in a good position to challenge in the next few races.”

After pitting later than Sainz at the first stops, Hamilton had to pass the Ferrari on track and did so with a bold, but well-judged, move down the inside of his rival on lap 19 into Turn One.

The two cars made light contact, with Sainz taking to the run-off area. The Spaniard then claimed over team radio that Hamilton had “ran me off”.

Convinced Hamilton’s move was incorrect by the letter-of-the-law, Sainz told Sky Sports F1 afterwards: “I think he ran me off the track. Then we can consider whether it’s hard racing or it’s legal.

“If you follow the rule book as it’s written exactly then I don’t think it was legal but if you ask me as a racer, I think it was a tough move.

“But I’m just using the rulebook obviously given that I also got a penalty for that in Miami. So just trying to search consistency with the way the rules are applied and just making sure I was transmitting that to the FIA.”

For his part, Hamilton said the move felt fair and “pretty awesome to me”.

“I think it was clean,” said the Briton, who is replacing Sainz at Ferrari next year.

“Ultimately, he didn’t fully cover the inside line. He left the door open, which I went for.

“A late move alongside him. I think we were wheel to wheel. He was still on the track, so I left him space, as much as I could.”

F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix this coming week – with the Sprint format returning at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm

While Lewis Hamilton may have found himself absent from the title and victory scene again in F1 2023, his attire has seen him named among the best-dressed men of 2023.

Hamilton and his Mercedes team had hoped that F1 2023 would mark their return to title contention, Hamilton pursuing what would be a record-breaking eighth World Championship, though this did not come to pass.

Red Bull would once more control proceedings, taking their dominance to new heights in F1 2023 by winning 21 of the 22 grands prix, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz inflicting their only defeat, while Mercedes and Hamilton were left with a winless campaign, Hamilton now not taking to the top step of the podium since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton joins best-dressed 2023 list

Every cloud has a silver lining though, as they say.

As a seven-time World Champion, with the most wins, poles and podiums among his F1 records, Hamilton has established himself as arguably the most marketable driver on the grid, while he is also noted for his striking fashion sense around the paddock.

And his style has seen him make the cut with Essence for their best-dressed men of the year 2023.

‘Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton has been championing black designers since he’s been growing in popularity,’ the publication notes.

‘Hamilton went to The Met Gala in 2021 and made sure his entire table was filled with emerging black designers like Edvin Thompson of Theophilio, Kenneth Nicholson and Jason Rembert of Aliétte.

‘You’ll often see the driver in the front row at Fashion Week wearing bold and colorful outfits by brands like Off-White and Valentino.

‘His Grand Prix entrances are our favorite part of the racing sport. Hamilton has created a space for fashion in F1 by expressing himself through his style.’

Hamilton is named among a collection of high-profile celebrity figures in this best-dressed list, including music icons Usher and Pharrell Williams, to Oklahoma City Thunder basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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As Hamilton now recharges ahead of a targeted F1 2024 title push, the seven-time champion recently threw his backing behind Mercedes team principal and one-third owner Toto Wolff, as the eight-time Constructors’ champions look to emerge from their slump and return to winning ways.

“Toto is an amazing leader,” Hamilton said at the FIA Prize Giving Gala when asked about Wolff’s continued influence at Mercedes.

“Obviously, I’ve known him for a long time, we joined the team at the same time and it’s been an interesting journey for both of us to both grow with the team, to see his vision grow and progress within the structure of the team.

“He hasn’t lost an ounce of his competitiveness, he is massively competitive. You see it on TV when he’s sitting at his little desk in the garage, and trying to find a balance in life of, you know, work life and family life – I think he’s done a really great job there.

“But I think just continuing to push everyone, yesterday, again, we were talking to the team together.

“He’s a very, very approachable leader. I think people can relate to him, to his emotions and just to his compassion, or his drive. He’s very understanding.

“I think it’s definitely not been easy for anybody in the team when you’re working towards something, but it’s not quite going the way you want it.

“I think there have been many lessons and I’ve been really proud to see the progress that he’s made just as an individual, as a human being as well.”

Hamilton signed a new Mercedes contract during F1 2023, committing him to the team until the end of 2025.