Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has said that a good start to the race overtaking teammate Nico Rosberg was key to setting up a victory at the Hungaroring.
The British driver got past Rosberg and held off a quick-starting Daniel Ricciardo to take the lead and control the race. He took his fifth win at the track and to take the lead of the Drivers’ Championship for the first time in 2016. Hamilton leads Rosberg by six points on 192 compared to the German’s 186.
He started his podium interview by praising the fans in the grandstands.
“Well firstly a big thank you to the fans here, they’ve been amazing this weekend,” Hamilton said.
“It’s because of these guys that this race is so spectacular, you know, we always have such a great time here. The track is great, the city is great, but the fans here really make the event, so a big, big thank you.
The 31-year-old went on to confirm that the start was a huge factor in his result.
“With the race, yeah, the start was everything. I got a good start and I had one of the Red Bulls on the inside of me [Ricciardo] so I was pressured quite a lot into turn one.
Hamilton also praised his team for their role in their continued success.
“But the team did a fantastic job with the strategy, preparing the car, as always, the guys back at the factory continuing to push flat out, so a huge thank you to them. You know this is a great result for us as a team, yeah, what a day.”
The win is the 48th of Hamilton’s career and his fifth in the last six races.
