Lewis Hamilton was desperate for the race to be over because of the crashes in his Mercedes W13 at the Azerbaijan GP.

After suffering severe back pain, Hamilton explained that adrenaline and prayers for the checkered flag carried him through to the end of the race in Baku.

When asked if he was relying on adrenaline to finish the race, Hamilton replied, "Yeah, that's the only thing, holding on like this clenching your teeth in pain."

"I can't express the pain you feel, particularly on the straight here. In the end, you're just praying to finish. We were in good positions, third and fourth, it's a great result for the team. It was a great job with the strategy.

Hamilton said he was losing a second per lap due to the quiques, so he will seek answers from the factory, saying that when they are found, Mercedes will be back fighting for the top positions.

"When we solve the quiques, we can get into contention, but for sure we were losing more than a second just because of that. I'll be at the factory tomorrow. We need to have some discussions and keep pushing."

Just before the national anthem was performed, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, was seen talking to Hamilton.

The Briton was asked if the conversation had any bearing on Ben Sulayem's recent controversial comments about driver activism, an area in which Hamilton is very active.

The seven-time world champion recalled that they were words to motivate him to keep pushing himself.

"Honestly, my back is hurting so bad I don't remember," Hamilton said. "I think he told me not to lose hope, not to give up or something."