"It was actually a tough race" - Lewis Hamilton hails Mercedes' 'reliability' after finishing P2 at 2022 F1 French GP

Lewis Hamilton was elated after claiming his and Mercedes' first P2 finish of the season at a dramatic 2022 F1 French GP.

The seven-time world champion scripted history on what was his 300th F1 GP start by becoming the first driver to mark the occasion with a podium finish.

Lewis Hamilton started on the second row of the grid in P4 but was able to jump Red Bull's Sergio Perez at the start, owing to his lightning fast reactions at lights out. The Mercedes W13, which lacked pace and grip for most of Free Practice and Qualifying, came alive during the race and allowed him to keep Perez at bay with relative ease.

The 37-year-old then inherited the lead in the race briefly after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc spun out and crashed on lap 18 before dropping to P2 following a pit stop under the Safety Car.

From that position, Lewis Hamilton never looked back, storming to his fourth successive podium finish and Mercedes' best result of the season thus far.

Speaking to former F1 driver-turned-analyst David Coulthard in his post-race interview in Parc Ferme, a jubilant Lewis Hamilton revealed that the race was not as elementary as it may have appeared to viewers. The Briton said:

“I have to always give it up for this crowd we have here in France. This is the biggest crowd of people we’ve had here. Merci beaucoup. What amazing weather we’ve had. That was actually a tough race because my drinks bottle didn’t work, but what a great result, considering we’ve been so far off these guys all weekend.’’

Lewis Hamilton then lauded the Silver Arrows' impeccable reliability record this year as well as his teammate George Russell for finishing in third after a proper scrap with Red Bull's Sergio Perez for the position. The 37-year-old added:

“Reliability is one thing that my team’s been amazing at, so a huge congratulations to the team back at the two factories, the team here. Without them, we couldn’t get this podium. And George [Russell] did an amazing job today as well.’’

When asked if the lack of hydration at one of the hottest races of the year had impacted his weight loss in a severe manner by Couthard, Hamilton said:

“I don’t know. I didn’t see my weight just now but I would imagine probably around three kilos, yeah, It’s enough. I am looking forward to downing the rest of this drink and I wish everyone back home had an amazing Sunday.’’

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"I love it in Budapest" - Lewis Hamilton is eyeing further gains for Mercedes at 2022 F1 Hungarian GP

Fresh off a podium finish at Le Castellet (Circuit Paul Ricard), Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have no plans of slowing down just yet before the final race ahead of the 2022 F1 summer break.

Having found a way to hang onto the coattails of the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari in France, Hamilton is hoping the Silver Arrows can build on this performance next week at the Hungaroring.

When asked to share his thoughts ahead of next week's race in Budapest, Lewis Hamilton said:

“Budapest? Well, personally I love it in Budapest. Super excited to see the crowd there and I think...I mean it’s going to be hard to beat the Ferrari and Red Bulls. You’ve seen they have the pace advantage still but I am hoping we will bring some sort of upgrades to that track and [I] hope we take a step forward closer to them and if you can see us in the race at least lean on them a bit. So, hopefully in that race, we are even closer.’’

The result in France means Hamilton is now in P6 in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 127 points after 12 rounds of racing.