Sirotkin: "Have to give Hamilton credit for mental toughness"

Sergey Sirotkin finds it admirable that Lewis Hamilton was able to turn the switch so quickly in the British Grand Prix after his clash with Max Verstappen on the opening lap. The 25-year-old Russian does not think any driver could have put the incident behind him so easily during the race.

"I do have to give Hamilton credit for his mental toughness. He didn't seem very fast at first and Leclerc managed to pull a gap after the restart as well. After the stop, you saw perhaps the difference between a very good driver and an exceptional driver. Hamilton was able to pick up a pace that Bottas couldn't match either," said Sirotkin of Valtteri Bottas' team-mate's second stint at Silverstone.

Hamilton decisive

Hamilton took his ten-second penalty in the pit lane and then passed everyone else on track to finish first. The British driver managed to pass everyone on the asphalt and that is very impressive according to the former Formula 1 driver of Williams.

"When you're in a situation like that after that crash with Verstappen, after the restart you can pick it up like that where maybe someone else would drop stitches quicker. That's why he's a seven-time champion," he says at Formule1.nl in his column. "I felt very sorry for Red Bull and Max that their weekend ended cruelly in such a way but I also admire Lewis for still managing to bend his home race to his will."