Lewis Hamilton ‘devastated’ as F1 champion makes heartfelt statement

Lewis Hamilton revealed his “devastatement” in a heartfelt statement after the US Grand Prix.

Although it was Charles Leclerc who liked the win in Austin, it was a battle between championship rivals Lando Norris And Max Verstappen this provided a thrilling end to the race.

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The Briton thought he had snatched third place from his title rival in the closing stages, but a five-second penalty after a dramatic row between the pair saw him swap positions with the Dutchman at the checkered flag.

Verstappen now holds a 57-point lead over his McLaren counterpart with just five races remaining in an exciting campaign.

The champion regrets a rare mistake

Hamilton had to watch from the paddock after he spun out on the second lap.

Having started the day in 17th place, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion made a strong start, rising to 12th place before suddenly losing the rear and ending up in the gravel.

It was another bitterly disappointing day for the 39-year-old, who failed to build on the two impressive wins he achieved before the summer break.

In the five races since the mid-season break, Hamilton has accumulated just 27 points and, with only a handful of grands prix remaining, he is unlikely to be able to add to his record win tally with Mercedes.

He is set to move to Ferrari next season, where he hopes to change his fortunes and chase an eighth world title.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after Sunday’s race, Hamilton appeared shocked as he tried to explain what happened before apologizing to his team.

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“I mean, this has never happened before, I think for the first time,” he mused. “I wasn’t even really pushing at that moment, and the car started bouncing.

“Bono said that at 40km I had a tailwind, but the rear left was jumping in the air and I lost the rear.

“Riding on three wheels has been a challenge for us sometimes, it just hasn’t happened to me before.

“The same thing happened yesterday with George (Russell) with this new update package that we worked so hard to create – he luckily did a good job today, but he had the old package on him.

“It will be interesting to see if lessons can be learned from this, but it is so frustrating that I feel really sorry for the whole team at the factory.

“It’s not that I wasn’t focused, I was really caught off guard by the bounce I had and obviously I’m drained, but onwards and upwards.”

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