Hamilton was 'fed up' despite Sochi win, says veteran Dutch racer

Lewis Hamilton may have won the Russian Grand Prix but according to Jeroen Bleekemolen, the British driver was not pleased to see chief title rival Max Verstappen alongside him on the podium. The Mercedes driver was hoping to build a gap in the championship having started on the second row, while the Dutchman started right at the back.

In the first part of the race, it did look like Hamilton will take a considerable lead with Verstappen struggling to make headway from the back of the grid. It even looked that way in the final stages, with the Mercedes driver in P2, while his title rival was in P7.

However, once the downpour arrived in the final laps, the race turned on its head. Hamilton went on to snatch victory from race leader Lando Norris, while Verstappen made his way to second place. the Red Bull driver's late surge saw him minimise the damage in the title race and now trails the Briton by just two points going into the final seven races of the season.

Bleekemolen indicated that Hamilton looked "fed up" despite winning the race after seeing his chances of building up a considerable lead disappear. The former FIA GT driver also touted Verstappen as the title favourite going into the final stretch of the campaign.

"You could just see Hamilton was fed up because he had really hoped to take a big lead," Bleekemolen told the Dutch branch of Motorsport.com. "I also think he needs it to become world champion because Max is so good. He is going so fast this year. I really think he is the favourite for the title."

"For Hamilton though, this was an opportunity to at least take a 10, 15-point lead for a while and there isn't one now."

The 39-year-old feels Verstappen should have had a considerable lead if all went well for the Red Bull driver this season. The championship contender has endured some bad luck during the course of the campaign, which has seen Hamilton make up ground.

"If you look at the season realistically, Verstappen has had some bad luck... he really should have been way ahead," he stated. "He has just been stronger and they are still driving the same cars, so I really think he has the biggest chance now."