Lewis Hamilton managed an incredible salvage operation in Italy. The Mercedes superstar, who started the race on pole, lost his lead to Max Verstappen early in the race. And just as he began catching up with the Dutchman, he made a very rare mistake. The 7-times world champion had an off-track excursion and beached his car in the gravel for a while. Luckily for him, a red flag and some amazing speed saw him take home P2.

Speaking after the race, Lewis revealed how the incident unfolded. He said, “There was only one dry line, and I was in too much of a hurry to get by. So I come onto the inside and I could see it was wet.

“I was trying to stop but the thing wouldn’t stop and it sent me off. Bit unfortunate.”

Lewis‘ off-track excursion also saw him do some damage to his front wing. But in a way, he got quite lucky. Just moments after his incident, Valtteri Bottas and George Russell were involved in a huge crash that saw the red flags come out.

WATCH: George Russell Rages at Bottas After Huge Crash at Imola

So, by the time the race restarted, Lewis was in P9. But from then on, credit must be given to the Silver Arrows driver for being able to fly up the grid, and cross the finish line behind Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton reflects on his overall race at Imola

The Briton said, “On my side it was not the greatest of days – first time I made a mistake in a long time, but I’m grateful to have been able to bring the car home today.”

Hamilton can be heartened by the fact that he still is leading the championship. His late exploits at Imola not only saw him finish in P2, but he also put in the fastest lap that got him an extra point. And as things stand, that extra point is all that separates him from Max on the Drivers’ championship standings.

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For fans, it was yet another thrilling race. It appears that the 2021 season is delivering on what was expected of it and then some. The season will only heat up from here on with the next race coming in Portugal, scheduled for May 2.