Hamilton claims underdog position despite win: 'We're close to Red Bull'

With a victory at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, Lewis Hamilton has increased his lead in the championship by seven points. Despite the result, it was an uphill battle against both Max Verstappen and teammate Valtteri Bottas.

"What a race. It was great. At the start I put pressure on Valtteri and it was very difficult to pass him and I thought I was going to catch him. Then we had the safety car and I did everything to keep the temperature in the tyres," Hamilton told Sky Sport.

Looking back on his overtaking race, the seven-time world champion continued, "I think it's great. A race is a race to me. You still have to go the distance. I wish people knew how hard it is to not make mistakes. It's a different vibe and a different focus. But when you're behind it's exciting to me. I like to compete."

Not won yet

The 36-year-old driver then looked ahead to the Spanish Grand Prix, which will be held next weekend. Hamilton knows that the current lead over Red Bull assures nothing: "We can leave no stone unturned. We have to stay calm and I am very grateful to the team. We have to keep pushing this car, squeezing a little bit more out of it because you can see how close we are to those guys [Red Bull]."