• Spanish Grand Prix

Hamilton proud of his performance in Spain

Lewis Hamilton finished eighth on a two-stop strategy © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Spanish Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton said he was proud of his performance at the Spanish Grand Prix after he came from last on the grid to finish eighth.

Hamilton was stripped of pole position on Saturday night and had to start from the very back of the grid in Sunday's race. He was the only driver on the grid to make a two stop strategy work and balanced it to perfection to come through the field.

"I'm proud of my performance today, and proud of the team too," he said. "They did a great job: a real improvement with the pitstops, following our difficulties in that area recently. All in all, then, I think today's result was the best we could do. I was the only driver to attempt a two-stop strategy, and I'm glad I was able to made it work. People often say that I have an aggressive driving style, but my final stint on the prime tyre was 31 laps, so I reckon I proved today that I can make tyres last.

"It was a huge challenge to come through the field from the back, but I never gave up for a single second, right up to the finish line. Before the race I said I'd race my heart out, and that's exactly what I did. For me, that's what racing is all about. Today was all about damage limitation. But, now, looking at the bigger picture, I can't really complain because, despite the setbacks I've had this season, I'm still only eight points behind the leader of the drivers' world championship.

Hamilton is third in the drivers' championship but has yet to win a race yet. Nevertheless, he is confident he will make the breakthrough soon.

"The team has been working extremely hard, and our car is quick. So, when things go right, I think we'll be in a great position - and it'll come to us before too long."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.