Because of Hamilton, I’ll have to run until I’m 40 – Verstap

Hamilton made history in Portugal (Photo: AFP)

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Lewis Hamilton he could wait for the leader’s red lights to go out, but by the end of the first lap of the race, which started in the striking rain, he had slipped back to third. The British again took the lead on lap 20 and did not let go afterwards. The defending champion crossed the finish line ahead of his teammate with confidence, running even the fastest lap, with a lead of more than 25 seconds, breaking Michael Schumacher, (91) his long-standing winning record.

“It was a tough race, it was about the temperatures. Although I started well, the car oversteer into corner seven. I could have tried to defend myself against Valtteri (Bottas), but I was with him so I could overtake him later, and that’s exactly what happened. ” The Brit began, who also betrayed his numb legs and made things difficult for him, and then talked about how it felt to be single.

“I will still need time to understand what happened. I pressed the gas on the floor even in the last few meters, even under the influence of the race, I can’t even find the words. I never dreamed where I am today. I don’t have a magic ball, I couldn’t know what was going on when I decided to join Mercedes and these amazing people, I’m here now. I try to get the most out of every day and the team does exactly the same thing, we are going in one direction and that makes us so successful. My father, my amazing stepmother and my dog, Roscoe, also accompanied me on the run, so it is a truly blessed day. “ The defending champion closed his thoughts.

The moment @Lewis Hamilton got his nd record career#PortugueseGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/PZcA0xtEOC

– Formula 1 (@ F1) October 25, 2020

On the historic feat of Hamilton, the team leader, Toto wolff He also recalled and highlighted how Hamilton can get around his teammate by the way he handles the tires.

“Ninety-two races won. Who would have thought that would be the case when we started the project in 2013? So many victories are quite surreal. He is filled with admiration for his passion and the energy he invests in sports. He has quite an outstanding talent and ability. For the first time this year, I saw how training is based on competition. It took a long time to understand the behavior of the tires ” He noted that the British were noticeably behind their teammate at the start of the race weekend, and later said Hamilton was perfectly timed to win.

“We’ve seen it several times already and it puts Bottast in a bad position with the pressure on him in handling the tires. Hamilton is very good at this strategically. “

One of the best at doing it.# SkyF1 | # F1 pic.twitter.com/JoXc30JqCV

– Sky Sports F1 (@ SkySportsF1) October 25, 2020

Bottas In the lead, his teammate defeated him in a big way and increased his lead to 77 points in the individual World Cup standings. The Finn doesn’t understand what caused his great delay in the race, he said he just didn’t have the pace.

“The first lap went quite well, however I slipped a bit, which made my job more difficult. The soft starters had a clear advantage early on, so I was very grateful to be able to take the lead. However, from there, I just didn’t get the rhythm and have no idea what the problem could have been. I tried to defend myself, but he got so close to me that I didn’t have a chance. I pressed hard, but couldn’t be fast enough. ” Bottas evaluated his career, and then it was mentioned that in vain he asked for soft tires on the radio, he got medium tires.

“I was hoping I could stretch my first stage and soften up, but I don’t think that would have changed anything in the end result.” He admitted.

Third Max verstappen ran in, who also faced Sergio Pérez on the first lap. The Dutch believe that the Mexican owed the fall to himself and are happy that his Red Bull was not injured as a result of the incident.

“I did pretty well on my way out, but I had some problems at Turn 3, so Pérez was right next to me at the next turn. However, he left no room and actually squirmed. Fortunately, my car was not damaged. After that I tried to stay on the track until it rained, I didn’t want to take too many risks. It took me a lot to warm up my tires while the McLarens had very good grip, but I knew we were faster than us. When the situation returned to normal, I overtook them and then started running my own race “- he said, and also spoke about tire strategy and management.

“When the soft tires wore out, we lost quite a bit of time, but after switching to medium, our pace was quite good. But I really couldn’t do anything but finish third, as we were already way behind by then. Mercedes switched to a tough mix, but I don’t think they were very good tires. Definitely the medium worked better, but it really wouldn’t matter if I started with them too as I would have wasted more time after that. Overall, I feel like we ended up where we deserved it. ” Verstappen stated, without saying a word about Hamilton’s record decision.

“Lewis said he’s still pushing and he wants to set that particular bar really high, so I have to work hard to get there as well. This is amazing, but what can I say? Quite an incredible performance. Ninety-two wins, and I don’t think it stops here. I think it will rise well beyond the hundred mark, I will have to run to forty to break my record. That’s a pretty good motivation. Plus, he’s going for his seventh league title, which is very impressive. Everyone is aware of how fast it is, but its great strength is that it is very balanced and rarely makes mistakes. That’s why he hit those numbers so fast. “

Kimi raikkonen The parade completed the first round in Portimao, where he finished sixth, starting from 16th, showing several excellent overtaking. Although he didn’t score, he doesn’t think he had a very bad career.

“I didn’t do very well on my own as I lost a position after that. However There was a time when he still didn’t understand what the others were doing. The first and second nails were very good, our speed was quite good, but we had some problems changing wheels, and then I lost 10th place against Vettel at the end of the race. So we didn’t get a point, which is pretty overwhelming, we just had to be a little bit faster and then everything would get a little bit easier. Our race wasn’t that bad, but when you start from behind, you have to risk a little more, which is not very ideal. ” Summed up the Finnish driver of Alfa Romeo.

From P16 to P6

An incredible start for Kimi Raikkonen in Portimao #PortugueseGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/cRneQ4dw2O

– Formula 1 (@ F1) October 25, 2020