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Hamilton: I feel really sorry for Jenson
Lewis Hamilton is delighted with the start to the seven-race sequence which runs between Belgium and the end of the season, having returned to Spa after the month-long summer break. However, the Englishman has expressed his sympathy for McLaren team-mate Jenson Button after his incident with Sebastian Vettel.
With second-placed starter Hamilton having made the most of a poor getaway by Red Bull’s Mark Webber to lead into La Source, the 2008 Champion – who was denied that year’s Spa win by a time penalty – headed the race until the chequered flag.
“After the DNF in Hungary, this last push in the championship couldn’t have started better for me,” Lewis wrote on his website. “This victory was the perfect way to bounce back. Spa is always one of the most challenging races on the calendar and I’m ecstatic that I’m now able to tick it off and say that I’ve won here.
“At the start, I was able to pace myself and maintain the gap – every time the cars behind increased their pace, I was able to answer. Then, when the conditions changed, I had a wide moment at Turn 8 (Rivage) and I was on the edge of my seat! Fortunately, I got out of it, took a step back, regained my focus and took control again. I was so relieved to cross the line at the end of the race – it was an overwhelming feeling!”
Despite this, Hamilton was not pleased to witness what he feels was an unnecessary end to the day for Button at the Bus Stop Chicane.
“I feel really sorry for Jenson,” he continued. “He did a great job. I got around Turn 1 (La Source), looked in my mirrors, saw him picking up places and thought, ‘That’s good, that’s good.’ Then he got up to second and I thought, ‘That’s fantastic – another opportunity for a 1-2.’
“Then, cruelly, he was taken out through no fault of his own - which was really unfortunate for him and for the team because he did everything he could to get us the most points in the Constructors’ Championship - but he’ll bounce back even stronger.
“It may sound an obvious thing to say, but I’ll say it anyway: I love racing. It’s in my blood and I missed it so much during the summer break. So to finally get a win at Spa – in the trickiest of conditions – is fantastic. I couldn’t have done it without the team, though; without them putting in such a great effort, we wouldn’t be here today. It almost feels like this is my first win – it’s just phenomenal!”
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Lewis Hamilton
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