Toto Wolff congratulates Lewis Hamilton on radio after podium finish by the 7x champion

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff congratulated Lewis Hamilton after the Spanish Grand Prix. The Briton secured his first podium finish of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

It took 12 races for the seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton to return to the Formula 1 podium. The 39-year-old driver started from the second row alongside teammate George Russell. His third-place finish marks the 198th podium of his career.

Hamilton overtook Russell with 15 laps to go, going on to capture P3 behind race winner Max Verstappen and pole-starter Lando Norris. The Mercedes legend, who is set to join Ferrari at the end of the season, has now made it to 18 consecutive seasons where he has secured at least one podium finish.

While it has been a tumultuous season for the British racing icon, Lewis Hamilton was jubilant following the Spanish GP. The Briton received a congratulatory message from his boss and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff over his radio after the race. Wolff said (via Sky Sports):

"Well done. Great to watch."

Hamilton replied with a simple "thanks." The British driver also thanked his race engineer Bono and offered words of encouragement for the team. He said:

"Thank Bono. Great job guys! Mega. What a great surprise to come here and get these points. We are making improvements. Let's keep pushing, we are nearly there."

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Lewis Hamilton reacts after his first podium finish of the season

Speaking to media after the race, an elated Hamilton said about securing P3 (via Sky Sports):

"Yes, big boost to finally get a good result. It's been a minute since I've been up here in the race. So a huge, huge thank you to the team who have done an amazing job."

Hamilton compared his drive in Spain to last season's and highlighted the team's progress in recent weeks, stating:

"Last year, we were very fast here, but you have to take it with a pinch of salt. But obviously, the last couple of races we've also been relatively competitive. I think we have closed the gap a little bit but we still have a good couple of tenths to try and find. So we've just got to have all hands on deck and keep pushing."

The positive result in Spain means that Lewis Hamilton now has 70 points to his name. The Mercedes driver finds himself eighth on the F1 Drivers' standings, 11 points behind teammate George Russell. The seven-time World Champion will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025, where he will partner with Charles Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen of Red Bull continues to lead the Drivers' standings after 10 races. He has secured 7 wins this season.