Lewis Hamilton: & # 34; Bottas doesn't have to apologize & # 34;

A uch a tattered Mercedes is a fast racing car. On the Silver Arrow with start number 44, the front wing end plate and the bow wing in front of the side box were missing after Valtteri Bottas' ramming in the first corner on the right. In addition, the sub-floor beneath the cooling inlet had broken off. The victim Lewis Hamilton did not want to blame Bottas: 'Valtteri doesn't have to apologize to me. It was a normal racing accident.'

After consulting the engineers, Hamilton revealed: 'That got me 0.8 per lap cost up to 1.5 seconds. ' There was a massive lack of downforce in the rear. Chief Designer Aldo Costa explained why: 'The damage to the underbody prevented us from sealing the side of the diffuser. The car lost contact pressure at the rear.'

The proof was provided by the top speed measurement. At 340.5 km /h, Hamilton was king on the straight. A total of almost 14 km /h faster than teammate Nico Rosberg. At the top, the sister car was also running in overdrive.

Mercedes slower by 0.8 to 1.5 seconds

Under the adverse circumstances, Hamilton drove a terrific race. The defending champion was on average not much slower than Kimi Räikkönen in an intact Ferrari. In his fastest race lap he was even half a second faster than the Finn.

The strategists puzzled over how they could get Hamilton past the red car. 'The only chance was to use the tactics to do something different than Kimi. That's why we chose a medium tire in the second stint. But it deteriorated more than expected.' Team boss Toto Wolff added: 'Lewis would have needed a safety car to get close to Kimi.'

Hamilton's defeat began at the start. The sprint into the first corner was again not ideal. This time it wasn't just a technical problem like in Melbourne when the clutch got too hot. 'A bit of technology, a little bit of people. A domino effect set in.'

Despite the defeat, Hamilton looked almost liberated. For him, like Melbourne, it was damage control again. It could have turned out worse. The world champion is therefore not worried that Rosberg will drive up and away with the World Cup. And also not that the teammate has already won 5 races in a row. 'It's only two races,' corrected Hamilton. 'AnyThe season starts all over again. You can't add up wins across seasons. '

Hamilton is more relaxed about defeats

Hamilton praised the best cooperation in the team since he was driving at Mercedes Points deficit make you nervous. 'I told my engineers that the season was just beginning. We only have 2 out of 21 races. I know what i can do It will definitely not be a breakdown season. With this car we have an excellent foundation again. I've started from pole position twice. '

Hamilton is at peace with himself. He now has the experience and the calmness to deal with defeat.' I've learned to deal with days like these. On a day like that I tell myself that I got away with a black eye. '