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Lewis Hamilton hinted that Max Verstappen may have cost him a potential win at the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP after Mercedes claimed a momentous one-two finish at Interlagos.
The seven-time world champion started in P2 behind Sprint winner George Russell and held that spot in the opening laps after an early Safety Car period following a crash between Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen.
At the restart, Hamilton was put under pressure by Verstappen before a collision between the pair heading into the Senna Esses. The incident pushed Hamilton down to P8 on the grid but did not deter the Briton, who clawed his way back to second in time for his final pit stop of the race.
Another Safety Car period following a DNF for Lando Norris bunched up the field together to set things up for a grandstand finish. Unfortunately, for Lewis Hamilton, even that was not enough for him to catch Russell, who led from lights to flag to claim his maiden win and Mercedes' first of 2022.
Despite his struggles, Hamilton was pleased to have secured a one-two finish for the Silver Arrows. In his post-race interview in parc fermé with Felipe Massa, the 37-year-old, however, found time to aim a dig at Max Verstappen while congratulating his entire team. He said:
"Well, firstly, I have got to say a huge congratulations to George [Russell]. What an amazing drive he did today. He did an amazing qualifying yesterday. So, he truly deserves it. To my team, so proud of everyone back at the factory and here. This is an incredible result. We worked so hard through this year to get a one-two, to get a win and so this is hugely, hugely deserved from everybody. So, a big thank you. What can I say? You know how it is with Max [Verstappen]."
Max Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for this infraction but Lewis Hamilton will certainly feel hard done by it as his wait for a win in 2022 continues.
"I've really had one of the best weeks of my life here" - Lewis Hamilton feeling right at home in Brazil
Aside from his team and George Russell, Lewis Hamilton also had a lot of love for the people of Brazil after an eventful race weekend in Sao Paolo for Mercedes.
The Briton was made an honorary Brazilian citizen in the lead-up to the race and has always idolized Ayrton Senna, Sao Paulo's favorite son in the eyes of many.
When asked to speak about the fans at Interlagos, the Briton said:
"Big big thank you to everyone here in Brazil. I've really had one of the best weeks of my life here with how everyone has accepted me and the warm welcome I've had. So, yea. Excited to come back here again and hopefully some holidays in the future."
Up next for Hamilton is a trip to Abu Dhabi for the final race weekend of the season and the possibility of finishing behind his teammate for the third time in his F1 career.
