It’s admittedly been a struggle for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes this season. Between himself and teammate George Russell, the two combined for one podium finish through the first nine races of the season.
The lone podium came last weekend in Canada when Russell claimed third after starting on pole.
However, recent strides are apparent after another strong weekend saw Hamilton lead the way in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, where he claimed his first podium result of the season.
It comes after he was fastest in FP1 and qualified third on Saturday.
“It’s been a really great weekend,” Hamilton said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium so I’m very happy. We’re not quite there yet but we’ve taken a huge step in recent races. We didn’t quite have the pace to fight with the two guys ahead of us but, if we can deliver more consistently like this, then we will be in a strong position.
“We are on our way to catching those guys and that is fantastic.”
While the seven-time Formula 1 champion had relief after getting back on the podium since the Mexican Grand Prix last year, he felt his race may have been different had the beginning of Sunday’s race gone smoother.
Hamilton slipped to fifth on the initial start, however, was able to recover throughout the race around Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
“I had a really bad start, which was unfortunate,” Hamilton said. “The race may have been slightly different if I had got off the line better, but ultimately, I think P3 was the maximum today. I was pleased with my move on (Carlos) Sainz too.
“I gave him enough room and we both made it through the corner. It was an important move for my race, so I was glad to get it done. It’s now on to Austria and we’re looking forward to it.”