F1 | Tuscan GP | Hamilton and Bottas both feeling exhausted after scoring an inaugural win at Mugello
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas reflect on their first 1-2 finish at the Tuscan GP
Mercedes-AMG secure a 1-2 finish at the inaugral Tuscan GP adding a mark to Hamilton's career with his 90th victory, sixth of the 2020 season and first at the Tuscan GP.
Hamilton comments, "Today was one of the most challenging days, physically and mentally, I've experienced. I'm pretty exhausted to be honest, but it feels fantastic to win such a crazy race. It’s all a bit of a daze and felt like three races in one day. It was incredibly tough out there, this track is phenomenal and Valtteri was pushing me hard, so it wasn’t easy at all. With all the restarts and the focus that was required, it was really hard. The first start wasn’t great and I lost the place to Valtteri, but then the second start was better and I got the place back. I had a comfortable advantage after that point but then there was another red flag. Anything could have happened on those restarts but fortunately on the last one, I got my best start of the day and was able to maintain my position. Valtteri was always right there with me and I couldn’t make a single mistake, otherwise he’d be right there to pass me on the straight. A huge thank you to the team here at the track and back at the factories for all their hard work to make this result possible, and this is a brilliant circuit, so I’d love to come back in the future."
With Hamilton securing a 25 points race win and a +1 for fastest lap, he now sits with 222 points finishes breaking a new F1 record. In terms of Drivers Championship, Lewis leads with 190 points.
Bottas on the otherhand, crossed the finish line in P2 which gave Mercedes a 1-2 finish.
Bottas comments, "It feels like we had three races today and it was really tough out there. The first part of the race went well for me, but also was pretty short. I had a dream start and maintained my position on the first Safety Car restart. Once I lost the position to Lewis on the second start, it was really tricky to get it back. I did everything I could and was pushing really hard, especially in the middle stint so I could maintain the distance. But when you are behind, you need to slide the car more and that uses up your tyres. There weren’t many opportunities once I lost the place, but that’s how it goes, and I just need to keep pushing and keep trying to get better. And that’s what I’ll do."
With that being said, Bottas standing on the second-place podium giving himself a +18 in points which brings a total to 135. Just 55 shy of Hamilton.
Overall, Mercedes-AMG leads with 325 in the Constructors' Championship.
Both drivers can now relax as we are headed into a week break and after that, Russian GP.