Lewis Hamilton praised his Mercedes team as he took another step closer to the World Drivers’ Championship title with victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. The five-time world champion, aided by his faster tyres in the closing stages, managed to overtake race leader Max Verstappen with three laps remaining to take the chequered flag.

Having endured his worse result with the Silver Arrows at the German Grand Prix the previous weekend, Hamilton was delighted to be back on top and thanked his team for their efforts. “I’m tired which is how it should be,” he told reporters.

“I feel really grateful for the day and for the team for continuing to believe in me and push to the limits. “We’ve been together seven years and it never gets old and it always feels brand new like a new win for us and if it was not for these guys and the guys back at the factory, it wouldn’t be possible.”

Meanwhile, Verstappen was pleased with his efforts over the weekend, despite narrowly missing out on top spot on the podium. The Red Bull ace said: “We were just not fast enough. I tried everything I could on that hard tyre to stay alive. Still, second, fastest lap, a good weekend overall.

“Congrats to Lewis, he was pushing me really hard. I like that. Still a good weekend for us.” Hamilton is 1.04 to win the Drivers’ Championship, while the rest of the field are 10.09 to take the title this season.