F1 News: Lewis Hamilton confident Mercedes "are still the best team" after Brazil triumph
Lewis Hamilton has expressed his satisfaction with Mercedes' trajectory ahead of 2023 following the team's first win of the season.
In a year characterised by an unpredictable W13 and general struggles to fight at the front, Mercedes will be pleased to take a controlled 1-2 finish at Interlagos.
There is still plenty of progress ahead before the Silver Arrows can fight for wins consistently, but the team's victory in Brazil serves as proof that strong winter development could be game-changing.
Hamilton's race was not without difficulty, as early contact with Verstappen compromised his chances of following teammate George Russell in the early stages.
Despite this, Hamilton secured a vital result for the team after a challenging campaign.
The 7-time Champion told the media about his afternoon post-race:
"It was an incredible day, and incredible weekend, and week actually - just overall, so many amazing experiences from Monday onwards.
"And this really is a dream for all the team. I think everyone truly deserves this amazing result.
"It is the most important thing for us to have this result. This is a massive boost to the whole team's morale.
"Going into the winter, the team know that we're on the right track.
"And we are still the best team, and we will get back to having this more [often] next year, and I'm still excited for that, to have that battle."
When questioned on his incident with Verstappen, Hamilton explained that his first thought was about the impact of any potential damage on the team result:
"All I thought at that moment... was that I'd have to retire because I felt something; the rear wasn't selling the same after that.
"For me, it was like, 'I'm going to lose the team a one-two, and that's all I could think od."