Lewis Hamilton has conceded he paid the price for not gambling on an early switch to Slicks during the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint. The 24-lap event at the Red Bull Ring took place in changeable conditions with Intermediates fitted at the start following a rain shower. But as the track dried, Mercedes teammate George Russell was the first to gamble on a switch to Slicks with nine laps to go - a decision that would ultimately see the Briton leapfrog into the points by finishing in the top eight. Hamilton eventually finished 10th having started 18th after a shock SQ1 elimination in the morning's Shootout, with his switch to Slicks coming a couple of laps later than Russell's. Speaking to media, including RacingNews365.com , the seven-time F1 World Champion said: "We had a great first lap and then generally just struggled with the balance of the car. When you get into the wet conditions, it highlights the issues you have with the car and those don't give you confidence. "But otherwise, I transitioned to the Slick way too late. I don't really like gambling and I didn't so I paid a price for that."
I had a laugh
Hamilton shrugged off his poor Shootout performance, where he saw his best lap time deleted for abusing track limits, by suggesting the separate Sprint Saturday had no importance compared to the main event on Sunday. Sticking to his pledge to throw caution to the wind and enjoy the Sprint, Hamilton insisted: "It was fun, I just had a laugh out there. "It was like being at Rye House [karting circuit] on a normal weekend, just enjoying yourself."
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