Radio dialogue between Hamilton and Mercedes engineer Bonnington

Lap 50

Peter Bonnington

OK Lewis, so, other car has a puncture, so, just look after your tyres as best you can ...so, please don’t go for fastest lap, we just need to get the car home. Tyre integrity is the predominant thing. Lewis Hamilton

Understood. Bonnington

Front left tyre failure for Valtteri (Bottas, teammate). So, there may be debris from that tyre around the circuit ... Max (Verstappen, Red Bull) is the car behind at 15 seconds.

Lap 51

Bonnington

Verstappen has just stopped to take another tyre. So, it looks like he’ll be going for fastest lap. So, we won’t bother trying. Bonnington

So, one more lap, Lewis. Just bring it home.

Lap 52

Hamilton

Umm, think something happened to my left tyre also. Bonnington

OK, copy. Same again. So, Verstappen 30 seconds behind ... Verstappen 25 seconds... Bonnington

This is the last lap. You’ve got 20 seconds to Verstappen. Now 17 seconds. Now 16 seconds ...

10 seconds to Verstappen ... Nine seconds to Verstappen ... Seven seconds to Verstappen.

Chequered flag

Hamilton (crosses line) Is that the last lap? Bonnington

That’s it mate! You’ve done it! Wow! Hamilton

There was no flag? Bonnington

You’ve done it, though, mate. Just stop. You can pull the car over. We’ll come and get you. So stop, stop, stop. Hamilton

You sure? I think I can drive it with the wheel locked. Bonnington

No don’t. It’s dangerous. Just stop and we’ll come and get you. We just need to preserve the car. Preserve our stock of bits. Hamilton

F---! That was close! (Carrying on driving) The car is … honestly it’s fine. It’s not rubbing down. Hamilton

Wow! That was close guys. Bonnington

Yeah. I was about to say the same, mate. That was a close call. Too close for comfort. But yeah, awesome work, mate. Hamilton

The tyre was looking … the tyre was feeling fine. Then … I must have hit something on the track.