- Singapore GP - Race
Hamilton felt 'comfortable' in post-safety car charge
Lewis Hamilton says he always felt positive about recovering from the safety car period to win the Singapore Grand Prix despite airing his doubts on the radio.
When the safety car came into the pits on lap 39, Hamilton was on super-soft tyres while those behind were on the soft prime tyre - meaning he needed to pit again when the others had the option not to. Hamilton managed to build up a gap of 27 seconds in a blistering stint and emerged in second behind Sebastian Vettel, who he easily dispatched on fresher soft rubber two laps later.
Mercedes had set him the target of 27 seconds but Hamilton questioned whether the tyres could last long as his times started to drop off, as well as worrying about a second safety car period, but he admits he knew victory was his if he kept everything together.
"It wasn't too bad!" Hamilton said when asked if he was worried victory was slipping away during his final super-soft stint. "I think at the time it's just not knowing what the situation is. I knew I had a big gap but I was thinking 'if a safety car comes out, what does that mean?'
"But then when I came in I knew I was fighting guys who were on a long, long, run-down tyre so I knew I had a chance to get by, I felt kind of comfortable.
Hamilton came into the race 22 points down on Nico Rosberg, but leaves with a championship lead after his team-mate hit trouble, and he thinks he was due a weekend where everything went his way.
"I was dreaming [about the win] last night but you never think it will really happen. I was looking for that clean weekend and this was is. Obviously it's not perfect for the team but Nico didn't finish, we are always striving to get both cars one-two. No car has finished here one-two so that was our goal."
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