Lewis Hamilton completed a late pass on the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc to seal sixth position after starting in 13th; It was a positive day overall for Mercedes as George Russell finished in fourth after starting sixth on the grid
Monday 8 May 2023 16:14, UK
Lewis Hamilton admitted battling with teams such as Ferrari is what he "lives for" as he worked from 13th to finish sixth at the Miami Grand Prix.
After struggling on the hard tyres early on, Hamilton pitted on lap 38 and found extra pace on the mediums to work his way through the field.
That allowed him to be in prime position to overtake Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with two laps remaining and seal sixth position, rounding off a positive day for the Mercedes team as George Russell finished in fourth.
For Hamilton, being able to deliver in such "adversity" is what motivates him as Mercedes continue to search for the consistency they need to catch up to the front of the pack.
"I really enjoy battling with all the different cars and it was really great at the end to catch the Alpine and overtake the Ferrari," Hamilton said.
"It is mega. In the Sprint race at the last race I was going backwards and it is demoralising when you are going backwards, it is really tough.
"It was great to have pace and see the cars ahead and see the progress. I had a couple of great overtakes as well and that is what I live for.
"It felt great to see the Ferrari up ahead and be catching it bit by bit.
"If we had qualified where I probably should have qualified I would have had a much easier, smoother day but I prefer days like this where there is a bit of adversity and you have to deliver."
It was also a day to remember for Russell, who finished in fourth after overtaking the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz on lap 38.
With Mercedes showing superior speed to their rivals, Russell was content with his race as he felt he got the most he could out of an unpredictable car.
"I am feeling pumped, to be honest, because it has been a while since we had a good race like that where we made overtakes stick," Russell said.
"The pace, relatively speaking, was strong and I felt good in the car, so for sure it was a satisfying one.
"I would have liked to have been three positions higher, but we know the position we are as a team right now and P4 was the maximum today.
"It was a good day at the office and we will sit down with everybody tomorrow to see how we can move from here."
Formula 1 returns to Imola for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from May 19-21. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 including the race from 2pm on Sunday May 21.
