Hamilton admits he was 'praying' for chequered flag amid back pain

Lewis Hamilton admitted he was "praying" for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to finish after suffering with back pain during the race.

The Briton finished the event in fourth place after putting Mercedes' two-stop strategy to good effect, with teammate George Russell ending the day in third.

The porpoising issues for Mercedes continued into the race, where Hamilton was heard complaining about back pains.

Speaking after the Grand Prix to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton conceded that he was relying on adrenaline to get him through the 51-lap event.

"I was just like biting down on my teeth through pain and [through] adrenaline," he explained.

"I can't express the pain that you would experience particularly on the straight here and at the end you're just praying for it to end."

Hamilton: Porpoising a big factor in performance deficit

Despite the team hoping to reel in pace-setters Ferrari and Red Bull over the course of the season, Mercedes still remain some way off the pace.

The porpoising problems have refused to abate, with teammate Russell believing that their issues will be around for some time.

Hamilton added that he believed the excessive bouncing was the main problem with the Silver Arrows' performance deficit, and that solving it would improve their results.

"We're in such a good position still, getting third and fourth is a great result for the team," added Hamilton.

"The team did a great job with a strategy and once we fix this bouncing we're gonna be right there in the race.

"For sure we were losing over a second just with bouncing. I'll be at the factory tomorrow, and we've got to have some discussions and keep pushing."