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It answered doubts Hamilton admitted to having at times himself about whether he could still do the job at the pinnacle of the sport he once dominated. And it proved Ferrari could get back to winning ways after a period that was as difficult for them as it was for the driver who has delivered their first win since Mexico in October 2024. The race turned on a virtual safety car that gifted Hamilton a cheap pit stop and ensured he would come out in the lead from Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. But Hamilton and Ferrari did not need the luck. Mercedes admitted after the race that the seven-time champion would have likely beaten them anyway. It would just have required him to pass their cars on track to do it. Such was his pace on fresher tyres, though, that there was little doubt he would have managed it. Published2 hours agoHamilton wins first grand prix for Ferrari Published4 hours ago'I allowed it to get to me'For Hamilton it was a moment of redemption after a first season at Ferrari that left him questioning himself, and others questioning him. It was painful to watch him at points last year, as he wrestled with the confusion created by his lack of pace. He called the season a "nightmare". He called himself "just useless". He suggested Ferrari should get another driver. On Sunday, after soaking up the adulation of his team, fighting back tears on the podium, he revealed what he had gone through to get back to the place he belongs. "After a year like last year," he said, "there were definitely moments that I was like, 'Sheesh, maybe it is true that, you know, when you get to a certain point, you lose it.' But I've proven that you don't. You always have it and it just takes work." The criticism he had received had hurt him, he acknowledged. "I mean, I'm only human," he said. "So, there's moments where I see the stuff and for sure there's moments where I allowed it to get to me and penetrate deeply." He went away over the winter, turned off his social media, and set about resetting himself. "The training that I put in was harder than I've ever experienced, to keep myself in good shape," the 41-year-old said, "because I think at the beginning of last year I got injured here, actually, and carried that for months. "Just things that I know is to never second-guess yourself, never doubt yourself. You've got to continue to believe in yourself at the core. And those are the things that I've managed to reimplement into my mentality. I've rebuilt my mind to this point, to get myself back to where I was." Hamilton is only the fourth driver in his 40s to win an F1 race since 1958, following Graham Hill in 1969, Sir Jack Brabham in 1970 and Nigel Mansell in 1994. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lewis Hamilton's girlfriend Kim Kardashian attended the Monaco Grand Prix a week ago Few people know Hamilton better than Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal with whom Hamilton won six of his seven titles, during which time they became friends. Hamilton's revival this year, Wolff said, was partly down to the work he had put in, partly down to the new cars this year suiting him more than the ones of the past four years, which had a different aerodynamic design. Wolff even said he thought Hamilton's new relationship with Kim Kardashian had also played a part. "Hard work," Wolff said, "and I think this is a car that is maybe different to the previous era cars with the bouncing, with the stiffness, maybe not easy to feel. And this is back to more conventional driving in terms of at least aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics. "Obviously, the engine management is completely different, but you can see he's driving strong. The dynamics in the team look to be good between him and his race engineer. "I saw him on the podium, on the telly. I mean, that face shows me that he's very happy. "Maybe the girlfriend helps. Helped me to have a partner that you have a stable family life, and they seem to be getting on really well. I think it's all of those factors that put together the emotional and the personal and professional perspective. If they are in a good place, you win." To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be played Hamilton does indeed look a different driver this year. Last year, he struggled compared with team-mate Charles Leclerc, renowned as one of the fastest drivers on the grid, especially in qualifying. Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc only seven times last year across all qualifying sessions, over 24 grands prix and six sprints. And Leclerc was 0.15 seconds a lap quicker on average. Hamilton had also been beaten by George Russell two seasons out of three from 2022 to 2024. This year, he has looked much more at home. The ground-effect aerodynamics, and stiffly sprung cars, have been consigned to history. These new ones are more like the ones with which Hamilton had so much success. In qualifying this year, Hamilton is 6-4 up on Leclerc and on average pace there is virtually nothing to choose between them. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur first worked together in Formula 3 Hamilton also seems to have had a galvanising effect on Ferrari. He demanded changes of the team, to the car for him specifically, but also in attitude and approach. In doing so, his voice as a multiple champion was added to what team principal Frederic Vasseur, who was instrumental in bringing Hamilton to Maranello, was already saying. "Me coming was a big shock to the system because I am very, very vocal," Hamilton said.
Original Source: BBC Sport
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