Lewis Hamilton confessed his surprise after battling back from the foot of the field to claim an impressive podium finish an incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, starting from 21st after a combined 60-place grid penalty for various gearbox and power unit changes, steered clear of the early carnage and sat fifth when the red flag brought the race to a temporary halt.
The Briton then dispatched Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg to take third place and, although he couldn’t pass Daniel Ricciardo with a late charge following his third pit-stop, a podium represented a perfect case of damage limitation.
Hamilton crucially managed to preserve his championship lead, which now stands at nine points ahead of the Italian GP next weekend.
After the race, Hamilton said he was braced for a very difficult afternoon, and was amazed by how much progress he was ultimately able to make.
“I can’t believe we came up so far to be honest,” he admitted. “I woke up this morning knowing how difficult it would be on these tyres, with lots of blistering, and you can never predict what’s going to happen in racing.
“The great thing is since I was eight-years-old every Sunday is different, something happens up front.
“In previous races there were no incidents but today there was, today was about making sure you had the right approach – not too aggressive, not too easy.
“Today collectively as a team we had just the right balance, this is the best result I could have hoped for.”
Hamilton should be able to avoid further penalties before the end of the season after his team installed several new power unit components, provided he can avoid a third reprimand, which would trigger a ten-place demotion.
