WATCH: Lewis Hamilton’s blistering start in Austrian GP Sprint race

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton made a blistering start to the 2023 Austrian GP Sprint race on Saturday as he made five positions in the opening lap in damp conditions at the Red Bull Ring.

The seven-time world champion started the race from P18 after a disappointing sprint shootout session earlier in the day. But he showcased his incredible driving skills in the rain as he avoided all the chaos ahead of him to precisely move up in the grid.

While analyzing his Sprint race, Lewis Hamilton said:

"The car felt relatively quick this morning and I think we could’ve made it to Top 5 in the shootout and the sprint with the pace we had today, but it wasn’t meant to be. Very difficult conditions out there and I didn’t want to gamble so the transition to slicks unfortunately happened one lap too late for me.

"We tried to just have fun in the race and enjoy ourselves. We lost a few points today so we’ll focus on the race tomorrow, where we will be in a much better place to start from. We’ve also got a lot of learnings today, which we can take into tomorrow."

Lewis Hamilton claims he could have had a podium in the Sprint Race

The Briton eventually finished in P10 after he found himself battling for the final point position post his switch to slick tires. Speaking with Sky Sports, Lewis Hamilton said:

“Yeah, it was like a day out at Rye House. I think I was relatively quick this morning, so I think [we] should’ve easily been in the top five, and then in the race today I would’ve been on the podium or close to the podium with the general pace that we had.

“But it wasn’t meant to be and so we just enjoyed ourselves in the race and lost a few points. It’s not the most important of days today. We got a lot of learning, so hopefully we can take that into tomorrow. I’m round the Ferraris and the Red Bull, which is in its own league. So, if I can try and hold onto the Ferraris that’d be great, but we’ll see."

For the main race on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton starts from P5 behind Max Verstappen and the Ferraris. It would be fascinating to see if he can challenge the cars ahead of him and finish on the podium for the third race running.