Hamilton didn't see a flat tyre coming: "Wanted to go for fastest lap"

The British Grand Prix ended for Lewis Hamilton with a lot more excitement than he had planned. According to the Mercedes driver, he didn't see the tyre problem coming at all.

"At first you think, shit! But then you immediately think about what to do, how to get the car home safely, how to go on, can I go on at all? So you have all kinds of questions that immediately pop up in your head, then you limit your thoughts and do what you have to do," said Hamilton to Ziggo Sport's camera.

"Reduce your speed, of course, and try to get the car over the line in the fastest way possible. You have to turn as little as possible in the corners and of course, I could see the gap between me and Max shrinking fast. He went full throttle. I'm especially glad my tyre didn't explode in a fast corner, otherwise, we would have had a big problem," the world champion explained.

Surprise for Hamilton

"I didn't see the problem with the tyres coming at all. Valtteri was right behind me and he was pushing very hard, so of course, I also had to drive hard on the tyres for a longer period of time than I would normally do. When I heard that he had a flat tyre, I thought he had driven through a piece of debris, because I could continue at full speed myself. At that moment I even thought I could still make the fastest lap, but then they told me to slow down. To be honest, I really didn't think the tyre would blow. It still looked fine," the Mercedes driver continued.

"I personally miss the fans very much. There is normally a lot of pressure when the fans are there, but also a lot of energy, the atmosphere is great. All the way on this track. And now there is nothing at all, all the enthusiasm is gone. But hopefully, everyone will be safe at home and have enjoyed the race, at least I'm going to take another look at it," concludes Hamilton.