Lewis Hamilton said that the effort put into today’s victory at the German Grand Prix made it a particularly special win for him.
Hamilton needed good pit stops from his team, and some gutsy driving from himself, to beat both Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso to the chequered flag at the Nürburgring today. He said that made the win all the more satisfying.
“Every win is special – but with all the emotion, effort and energy the team put into today's victory, this one feels even more special than usual,” Hamilton said.
“Coming into this weekend, I said I'd take things one race at a time. So to win today is massively positive for us, but there's a long way to go and it'll be about consistency as well as speed from here on in.
“Driving lap after lap within tenths of each other was about trying to do everything as perfectly as possible – yet, being aggressive yet controlled, I felt the moves I made today were some of the most precise I've ever pulled off.
“Being able to drive with your head as well as your heart, and getting it just right, is massively satisfying.
“The fight for the world championship will be very, very, very hard now. We're back in the fight though, and I really hope we can carry this forward and keep the momentum going.”
It was a day of contrasts down at McLaren though as Jenson Button got a poor start and then had to retire from P8 with a hydraulic issue. However, he was keen to congratulate his team-mate on the win:
“First, I'd like to congratulate Lewis on a fantastic victory this afternoon,” said Button. “He's done a great job all weekend and this result gives everyone in the team a massive boost ahead of next weekend's race in Hungary.
“As for my race, I had a terrible opening lap. I got too much wheelspin away from the line and had to fight my way back from 10th place. I got stuck behind Vitaly [Petrov], who was very difficult to pass because he moved a lot in the braking areas. But once I'd passed him, I enjoyed fighting back through the field.
“I'd just overtaken Nico [Rosberg] for sixth when my power steering started to get heavy. Soon after, we retired the car on safety grounds because we had a hydraulic issue. It was a very disappointing end, but these things sometimes happen in motor racing and you just have to put it behind you and move on.
“Already I've turned my attention to next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, where I hope to have better luck. [McLaren] goes there on the back of a win and it's my intention to be back on the podium for my 200th grand prix.”
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh described the victory as ‘perfect’ and praised Hamilton’s ‘scintillatingly authorative performance’.
“What can I say?” said Whitmarsh. “Lewis was perfect in qualifying, and perfect in the race, and the result was perfect too.
“He made a brilliant start from the front row, storming past Mark [Webber] into the lead, and then nailed the first few laps.
“After that, the team made all the right strategy calls, and the pitcrew executed the pitstops faultlessly, under extreme pressure.
“It was a gripping race, real edge-of-the-seat stuff, with all three teams involved operating at the top of their form. When that happens, the victory is particularly hard-won – and mighty satisfying too. Believe me, this success will be celebrated loud and long in Nurburgring and Woking tonight – and in Brixworth and Stuttgart too, homes of Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, whose home Grand Prix this is. As always, their engine was superb today.
“Jenson had a difficult weekend, however, and his race ended prematurely today as a result of a hydraulic failure. He'll be disappointed, inevitably, but he's a magnificent team player, and a fabulous driver, and I'm sure he'll bounce back in Budapest next weekend.
“As for Lewis, well, I reckon his 16th Grand Prix victory was one of his very best: a scintillatingly authoritative performance that all too clearly underlines what a fearsomely competitive individual he is.”
