Lewis Hamilton concedes to 'downhill' spiral after Max Verstappen surprise

Lewis Hamilton has stated his Hungarian Grand Prix went “downhill” after he was overtaken by Max Verstappen early on during the race.

Hamilton was the first of the front-runners to make a pit stop as he ditched his soft tyres for the hard compound on lap 13.

He was soon followed in by Verstappen and moved ahead of the Red Bull driver, with Ferrari successfully completing an overcut strategy. 

However, on the following lap, Verstappen made a late dive down the inside of Hamilton into Turn 1 and dropped behind his rival once more, with the latter conceding that it made his race that much more difficult.

“I had a good start, a decent start and gained a position,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.

“I had really good pace, the first half of the first stint of the race, you just can't overtake here, unfortunately.

“I undercut Max, which was a positive but then he passed me. One of the backmarkers, I think it was, and I didn't see Max coming.

“He passed me and it went downhill from there.”

Hamilton was on course for a fourth place finish before a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him behind team-mate Charles Leclerc at the chequered flag.

While the result has left Hamilton frustrated, the seven-time champion insisted it has been an overall positive campaign thus far for Ferrari.

“It was pretty bad,” Hamilton said. “It was pretty frustrating. It is what it is.

“There's still lots of positives to take from the first half of the season and what's that to take from very quick.”