Hamilton 'would have been better' with Russell's set-up

Lewis Hamilton reckons he would have finished Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix higher than P5 had he opted for George Russell's set-up.

Hamilton, who lined up seventh on the grid in Jeddah, four spots behind Russell, was the only driver among the top-ten to start the race on the hard tyre, an alternate strategy that Mercedes hopes would pay off in the closing stages of the event.

But that plan was altered after16 laps when the race was neutralized by the safety car. Hamilton subsequently pitted for a set of mediums, rejoining the race in fifth place.

But that was as good as it got for the seven-time worlf champion who was unable to catch Russell who had opted for a medium-to-soft combo that carried him to fourth on the road, and eventually to third following Fernando Alonso's 10-second penalty at the end of the race.

While satisfied overall with his team's performance, Hamilton felt that he would have perhaps been able to race his teammate had he adopted the latter's set-up.

"Yeah, we got some great points as a team," he told Sky F1. "George got third, which is amazing.

"I went forwards, which is always the hope, is that you at least go forwards. One foot in front of the other. So, I’m really grateful to have come from seventh to fifth.

"The strategy just didn’t really work out for me. The setup was a bit off.

"I think if I had the setup George had, I would have been in a better position. There are lots to work on, but there are positives to take away."

• Read also: Russell 'not complaining about taking home a trophy!'

Hamilton said that the differing set-ups were a case of Mercedes hedging its bets. He also felt that he had been unlucky to lose out as Russell's set-up choices have often proven wrong in the past.

"It’s just there was like a 50/50 choice – I chose one way, he chose another," he explained. "More often than not, the way he went is the wrong one, but it just happened to work.

"I could only match his pace rather than be quicker this weekend. But I’ll work hard to make sure that we're in a better place next time."

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