Lewis Hamilton described his Sochi victory as the one he is “least proud” of in the wake of being handed track position by Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton held second behind long-term net leader Bottas mid-race, having re-taken the position from Sebastian Vettel that he lost during the pit stop phase.
Mercedes instructed Bottas to move aside for Hamilton and he dutifully obliged, with the Briton picking up the race lead when out-of-sequence Max Verstappen stopped.
Hamilton led Bottas home for a Mercedes 1-2 finish, his third win in a row, and one that enabled him to increase his title advantage over Vettel to 50 points.
“It’s honestly the strangest day I can remember having in the sport, in my career to be honest,” said Hamilton.
“I remember we had this discussion before and I’ve always said I want the right way. That’s always how it is for me.
“As racing drivers we exist to win, and if we don’t, it’s like you’ve taken our air away, taken our life away, it’s that deep.
“I would never wish it upon someone else and I would never ask for it from someone else ever.
“I made sure when we were in the meeting before with Toto and the guys I was like ‘this is not how I want to win’. But today he [Bottas] was an incredible gentleman and the team took the decision.
“There are stronger heads in the team who are like ‘we have to win’. It’s about winning both championships and they don’t get how.
“It doesn’t matter who is ahead and there are those of us who are racers and ultimately it’s really important to acknowledge Valtteri. He was just the ultimate gentleman.
“The team have done a great job this weekend so it’s very odd to feel down but you also have to feel grateful for all the guys working back in the factory to make a 1-2 like this possible.
“We have to embrace this [but] it’s definitely a win on my list of wins that I’m least proud of.”
