Lewis Hamilton has claimed there is still ‘work to do’ after finishing second in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Having been passed by Max Verstappen early on in the race, the championship leader had no answer to the searing pace of the Red Bull ahead of him as the race went on.
With little to show from Friday’s running in practice thanks to the temperamental nature of the W08, Hamilton also had problems with the battery in the early stage of race which allowed Verstappen to pass him, but he felt securing second place was the best result possible.
“It was a much better weekend than we had anticipated after our Friday,” Hamilton said. “Considering the issues we did have with the car this is a good result. But still we have a lot of work to do with the car, some of the corners really magnified the issues we have.
“These next races are going to be crucial in terms of ironing out some of the creases we have with the car. I was having some problems with de-rates at the beginning of the race, so I was struggling with battery power.”
After the struggles of Sebastian Vettel in qualifying meant the Ferrari driver started from the back of the grid, Hamilton knew he had to make as much ground as possible on his title rival and was cautious when fighting with Verstappen to score maximum points.
Hamilton added: “Naturally, I wanted to win the race, winning the races is still the goal. So even to be second is not that satisfying. Today was a step towards in trying to win the world championship and every point counts.”
