Lewis Hamilton slams ‘waste of space’ part of Mercedes F1 car after heroic Italian GP performance saw Brit finish fifth

LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed he secured his brilliant fifth-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix with a damaged car.

The Brit started 19th on the grid but battled through to pick up a useful ten points at the iconic Monza circuit.

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Lewis Hamilton soaked up the sun at the Italian GP’s Monza trackCredit: Splash

And now the Mercedes star has revealed a “waste of space” part on his W13 car was damaged in the opening stages of Sunday’s race.

The much-maligned vehicle took a small knock on the front after hitting a piece of debris on the track.

After the dust had settled on championship leader Max Verstappen’s latest win, Hamilton explained he was unsure whether the early hiccup had slowed his race pace.

The seven-time world champion also admitted he did not even know what affected part does.

Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “I don’t remember having any contact.

“I avoided collision but there was something definitely damaged.

“I think I hit a bit of debris as it came off another car and damaged the little fairing on the tyre.

“I have no ideas [if it affected the car’s performance]. I mean the grip didn’t feel that great, it was flapping around.

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“I don’t even know what those things are for – waste of space.”

Hamilton has been critical of his new Merc car all season and is now sixth in the overall standings and 167 points behind Red Bull’s reigning world champion Verstappen.

Earlier this month he said the car’s changing level of performance is “like a mood swing” which leaves him with “no idea” how it will fare at every race.