This is why Lewis Hamilton didn't defend hard against Verstappen
F1 News
After starting in second place, Lewis Hamilton led the sprint race for a while. The Brit explains after the race how it felt to be back in the lead and discusses the battle for first place.
After a battle with Lando Norris, Hamilton found himself in the lead for several laps. Max Verstappen, in fact, had to come from a little further behind as he struggled in the wet conditions during the sprint race.
Why Hamilton didn't defend hard against Verstappen
Hamilton hasn't led a race for a long time, and even joked about how he forgot how it felt. The sprint race in China is creating positive feelings for the Briton. "Any time you have a good result, it's always a confidence boost. That's the way of life and you have a good day, and it lifts your spirits for sure. The circumstances are special with the rain yesterday, but obviously I had to do the job yesterday and put that lap in."
Hamilton admits that going into battle with Max Verstappen was a step too far for his car and that he carefully thought out what to do to finish as high as possible. "I know we've got to work incredibly hard to get back to a more consistent placing like this. I didn't even put up a fight for Max because he was coming at a serious, serious pace advantage that I knew he would get me. And I really wanted to make sure I didn't lose time to the cars further behind so I could retain second."