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Lewis Hamilton 92 times. The Mercedes driver met expectations this morning and isolated himself as the biggest winner in Formula 1 history by triumphing in the Portuguese GP, at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portimão. He had set the Michael Schumacher record two weeks ago.
The return of the F-1 to Portugal after 24 years was very emotional. The Grand Prix is off to a mind-blowing start in a combination of design, temperature and the threat of rain. Hamilton lost the lead – Carlos Sainz’s McLaren did take the lead for a time – but retaken the lead from lap 20 to lead to another victory. It was the Briton’s eighth win of the season. Valtteri Bottas from Mercedes and Max Verstappen from Red Bull completed the podium.
To celebrate another historic milestone, Hamilton hosted coach Angela Cullen, her track engineer Peter Bonnington and Father Anthony.
“I owe it to [equipe da Mercedes] here and at the factory. It was a great privilege to work with them. I could only dream where I am today. It will take a while to understand. I can’t find the words right now, “Hamilton said after the race.
Formula 1 returns next weekend with the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola.
Crazy start even with McLaren on edge
The start of the Portuguese GP was a separate show on Sunday. The combination of track, temperature and a few drops of rain gave it a special touch that made the start of the race quite unpredictable. So much so that Carlos Sainz’s McLaren appeared in the lead, jumping from seventh to first place.
Lewis Hamilton, who won pole yesterday, managed to withstand the pressure of Bottas and Verstappen at the start, but was soon outmatched. The Briton suffered a heating of the tires in the first corners and lost the lead. Initially for Bottas, but later for Sainz. The Asturian McLaren took advantage by betting on soft tires and took the lead.
After the madness of the start, Mercedes found the rhythm (and the temperature of the tires) and regained control of the race from the sixth lap, with Bottas in the lead and Hamilton in second.
Far from the top positions, there was also a lot of emotion. The highlight for Kimi Raikkonen, who won ten incredible positions in his Alfa Romeo. He jumped from 16th and 6th position at the start of the GP. In the end, he crossed the finish line in 11th place.
Hamilton takes the lead on lap 20
Valtteri Bottas tried, but couldn’t keep up the pressure from Lewis Hamilton for long. The Briton accelerated hard and soon ran into his teammate. Interestingly, he logged fast laps while complaining to the team about tires on the radio. On lap 20 came the overtaking. On the long stretch of the Algarve, Hamilton pushed it aside and took the lead. More than that: once in front, he left Bottas behind and opened a comfortable lead.
Ocon runs almost every race on the same tire
Frenchman Esteban Ocon adopted an impressive strategy in today’s race. The Renault driver did most of the race on the same tires as the start. He used medium tires for 54 of 66 laps and only made his pit stop at the end. He started in 11th and completed in the end zone in eighth.
Hamilton complains of … cramps
With eight laps to go, Hamilton used the radio to report an issue to the team. No problems with the car or the tires … The Briton informed Mercedes that he was suffering from cramps.
Nothing, however, would prevent the six-time champion from leading his car to historic victory in Portugal.
F1 returns to Portugal after 24 years
It was 24 years without a Formula 1 race in Portugal. The last edition had been in 1996, in Estoril. On that occasion, Jacques Villeneuve won on a Williams double with Damon Hill. The country received the first Grand Prix in 1958 and today received the category for the seventeenth time.
It should be remembered that Portugal was the scene of Ayrton Senna’s first victory in Formula 1. The Brazilian won with Lotus in 1985, in Estoril. In addition, the race has already been held in the cities of Monsanto (Lisbon) and Porto.
See the final classification of the Portuguese GP:
1st Lewis Hamilton (ING / Mercedes)
2nd Valtteri Bottas (FIN / Mercedes)
3rd Max Verstappen (HOL / Red Bull)
4th Charles Leclerc (MON / Ferrari)
5th Pierre Gasly (FRA / AlphaTauri)
6th Carlos Sainz (ESP / McLaren)
7th Sergio Pérez (MEX / Racing Point)
8th Esteban Ocon (FRA / Renault)
9th Daniel Ricciardo (AUS / Renault)
10th Sebastian Vettel (ALE / Ferrari)
11th Kimi Räikkönen (FIN / Alfa Romeo)
12th Alexander Albon (TAI / Red Bull)
13th Lando Norris (ING / McLaren)
14th George Russell (ING / Williams)
15th Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA / Alfa Romeo)
16th Kevin Magnussen (DIN / Haas)
17th Romain Grosjean (FRA / Haas)
18th Nicholas Latifi (CAN / Williams)
19th Daniil Kvyat (RUS / AlphaTauri)
20th Lance Stroll (CAN / Racing Point) – not completed
