Lewis Hamilton said he would not have made a second pit stop under the safety car at the British Grand Prix if he had known it would cost him second place. The seven-time champion finished behind Mercedes driver George Russell after both Ferrari cars stopped late in the race.
Hamilton was running second behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc when Max Verstappen crashed at Stowe. The safety car came out and both Ferraris pitted for fresh tyres. Leclerc maintained the lead, but Hamilton was passed by Russell, who stayed out.
"The team asked me to stop. I assumed in stopping that we would be holding position," Hamilton said. "If they told me, 'You're stopping and you're losing position', I wouldn't have done it."
The race finished behind the safety car after a rules issue allowed backmarkers to unlap themselves on the penultimate lap. Hamilton also received a five-second penalty for jumping the start and struggled with car balance throughout the afternoon.
