Lewis Hamilton believes his third-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix came after one of his "best ever races" in Formula One.
World Champion takes third despite struggling with car
Lewis Hamilton believes his third-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix came after one of his "best ever races" in Formula One.
The defending World Champion came through the field from 18th on the grid despite driving a McLaren Mercedes car that is currently performing well short of expectations.
Hamilton finished fourth on the road in Melbourne but was later promoted a place after Toyota's Jarno Trulli was penalised for overtaking the Englishman during a safety car period late in the race.
The result fell short of his victory at Albert Park 12 months ago but the 24-year-old was delighted nonetheless.
"It was one of the better races that I've driven simply because of the way the car is to drive. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to drive in my life," Hamilton said.
After setting only the 15th fastest time during the opening session of Saturday qualifying, Hamilton was forced to endure further woe after a gearbox problem necessitated a change.
Great achievement
Relegated to the back of the grid, Hamilton nevertheless produced a champion's drive in a car that has proved less-than impressive since its introduction.
"We scored way more points than we could have realistically expected. I was looking to try and get one point so to get six is a great achievement," he said.
"Considering the package we've got, I wrung every last ounce of pace out of the car, drove one of my best ever races and absolutely raced my heart out."
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh added: "Today was one of those days on which Lewis demonstrated very clearly just what a fantastic racing driver he is".
Hamilton is under no illusions that he and McLaren are still a long way behind the pace demonstrated by race winner Jenson Button and his Brawn GP team.
However, he added that he hoped they could catch up in time to challenge for the title.
"Podium or no podium, it was the result we needed to keep people motivated and keep everyone encouraged," he said.
