“I would love to have got that extra point” - Lewis Hamilton claims late VSC spoiled fastest lap opportunity

While Lewis Hamilton may have won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, he's disappointed to have lost the opportunity to win a point by setting the race's fastest lap.

With Nicholas Latifi trying to make it to the end of the race on a one-stop pit strategy, the Canadian suffered a puncture. That brought out the Virtual Safety Car, and by the end of it, Hamilton was already on his final lap, allowing Max Verstappen to take the fastest lap.

Verstappen's Red Bull was unquestionably lacking pace compared to the Mercedes, so in that sense, he couldn't have asked for more than a P2 finish and a bonus point for the fastest lap.

With just eight points separating the two title contenders, every single point is significant. It goes without saying that Lewis Hamilton would have liked to have earned the bonus point himself, given he still trails Verstappen in the championship.

Here's what Lewis Hamilton had to say in an interview post the race:

"I would love to have got that extra point out there for fastest lap but obviously I was against uh...the VSC and umm...honestly with the tire punctures and everything like that, it was too risky."

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Lewis Hamilton says "there's no time to celebrate" as he heads to the final two races

With two races to go in the 2021 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton seems to be in the best form he's been in all season. Although he has produced stellar performances for two weekends in a row, his chase for the title is not over.

Hamilton went on to say:

"It's a great feeling but I mean there's no time to celebrate, there's no time to rest. [We need to] keep our head down and keep chasing."

This is essentially the first time in seven years that Hamilton has been challenged for the title to such an extent. The next two races will determine whether we see a first-time champion in Verstappen or an unprecedented eighth career title for Hamilton.