After claiming his first win of 2016 Lewis Hamilton admitted he did not think his tyres would go the distance at the Monaco Grand Prix.
A switch to ultra-soft tyres on lap 31 and a calamitous pit stop for Red Bull a lap later propelled Hamilton into a lead he never relinquished. That win involved taking Pirelli's softest compound to the very end of the 78-lap race, often under significant pressure from Ricciardo.
Hamilton expected the tyres to drop off the cliff on the final lap but managed to bring the car home, cutting Nico Rosberg's championship lead to 24 points in the process.
Asked about his second stint, Hamilton said: "I'm telling you, that was the longest run, particularly after I stopped for those tyres. It was crazy how long it was and, really, to understand how much wheelspin you're allowed, how much you can use the tyres - because you don't know to what end they're going to go. I think the last lap was the time they were going to literally drop off, but thank God they stayed on."
Despite the implication of his win on the championship fight Hamilton insisted he is not focused on the wider battle just yet.
"I haven't even thought about just yet. Of course, we're still in the battle, there's a long, long way to go and just when you feel like it couldn't get any worse, it gets better, so I really think the message today, for everyone, is just never give up."