Hamilton saw win slip through his fingers: "I felt so much hope"

Lewis Hamilton saw his best chance of winning a race in the 2022 Formula 1 season slip through his fingers when Max Verstappen pulled the overtake for the lead with just a handful of laps remaining. Hamilton went on to finish second in the United States Grand Prix as Mercedes look to gain momentum for 2023. 

Hamilton against Verstappen

It looked like the 2021 season all over again with Hamilton and Verstappen battling for the lead. The events in the final few laps proved that Mercedes still need to make major improvements to be able to fight Red Bull and Verstappen. But the Mercedes driver is pleased with the upgrades his team have introduced. 

"A big shoutout to my team, we came with upgrades. We closed the gap a little bit, so so close! Did everything I could to stay ahead but they were just a little too quick today. Great strategy. The car was a handful, it felt amazing to be in the lead. We've been working so hard on that, I felt so much hope. We will keep pushing. It will come to us at some stage," Hamilton said in the post race interview.

Hamilton also made a special message to Red Bull Racing following the death of their co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz. "Great race from Red Bull and my condolences to the team," he added.