‘You're just praying for it to end’ – Lewis Hamilton reveals back pain caused by Mercedes car in Azerbaijan

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he was “praying for the end” of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to the back pain caused by his porpoising Mercedes. The seven-time world champion was plagued by a back injury through the practice sessions and qualifying. Ad/> He finished fourth in Baku despite the problem and made several overtakes to claim two extra points that were made available by a Ferrari double DNF.

Azerbaijani Grand PrixVerstappen wins in Baku to extend lead, Leclerc retires due to engine failure19 HOURS AGO Hamilton stressed that it was adrenaline which pushed him over the line, as he drove past the chequered flag. “That's the only thing," Hamilton said in quotes published by Sky Sports. «Biting down on my teeth through pain and just adrenaline.

»I can't express the pain that you experience, particularly on the straight here. At the end, you're just praying for it to end." Verstappen celebrates 'incredible pace' of Red Bull at Baku Ferrari reliability problems could wreck a promising season for Leclerc Mercedes will reflect on a promising performance in Eastern Europe, with Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell finishing third. It serves as a boost in what has been a challenging campaign for Mercedes, as Russell moved to within 17 points of third-place Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings.

Mercedes are now 38 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, and Hamilton paid tribute to his team for the race strategy deployed in Baku. «The team did a great job with the strategy. Once we fix this bouncing, we're going to be right there in a race.