Lewis Hamilton admitted his victory at the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday was a reminder that he should never give up during a race.
The Briton’s hopes looked lost as Sebastian Vettel pulled out a lead early on and the world champion then fell further back as a mistake at Turn 1 necessitated an earlier stop for tyres.
But when the Ferrari driver did the same error trying to pass Valtteri Bottas at the second Safety Car restart and the Finn then suffered a tyre failure after hitting debris with three laps to go, the stars aligned for Hamilton to take his first win of the season.
“I never give up and I think today was a real… It has been a while since I’ve been reminded of that lesson my Dad taught me years and years ago,” he told Sky Sports post-race.
“I kept going, I kept pushing, kept pushing and then things turned out the way they did and that was coming to the realisation of just how true still that mindset needs to be and is.”
Despite the win, which also sees him return to the top of the championship standings by four points, the Mercedes driver admits it was one he probably didn’t deserve.
“The Ferraris were faster than us all weekend and Valtteri did an exceptional job and really, after that Safety Car, deserved to win the race. He had done everything he needed to,” he claimed.
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Nevertheless, the 33-year-old conceded it was just another example of the crazy twist and turns the 2018 season has already taken just four races in.
“I mean, I’m coming out of the last corner and I’m just in disbelief that the position I was in was just very very emotional for me,” Hamilton explained.
“Being that in previous years here I’ve been in the lead, done everything I’ve needed to do and something went against me and then it just… I said this morning I think it was or yesterday, maybe third time lucky and it really really was that scenario today.
“This happens to be a track where luck… You kind of need it, you know, because there are a lot of Safety Cars and a lot of incidents that go on.
“So on one side, I’m really proud that I just kept on going, the guys did an exceptional job with the pit stops and strategy so yeah, a big thank you to them.”
