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Lewis Hamilton is just two wins away from Schumacher’s record. In Belgium, the Formula 1 superstar makes the classic boring. Almost nothing works at Ferrari: Vettel and Leclerc are only behind the drivers. The Scuderia becomes a claim for Formula 1.
When Lewis Hamilton parked his Silver Arrow again in front of the number one sign and, arms crossed in his car, remembered the dead “superhero” Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Vettel crossed the track in his pathetic Ferrari. “You can take a lot of knowledge with you, but it is not positive,” said the German on Sunday after the Belgian Grand Prix: “All the weaknesses came to light.” The result: 13th place. Far, far from the top. “It’s not good for Formula 1 to see where they drive,” even Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff complained.
Damage case Ferrari travels helplessly back to the Italian weeks of Formula 1. What should be a Tifosi festival despite Corona’s measures may turn out to be the next revelation. “It would be nice if we could find the Philosopher’s Stone overnight, but it is not somewhere,” Vettel said: “There are no secrets, there are no revolutions overnight.” His teammate Charles Leclerc confirmed in 14th place that nothing is happening at Ferrari at the moment.
Hamilton shortly before Schumi’s record: “I feel better than ever”
After Monza in a fanless week, the nearly 3,000 spectators who will be admitted to the 1000th day of the Ferrari Grand Prix at Mugello are more likely to witness another historic moment: Hamilton can set Michael Schumacher’s record for victories there. And it is full of energy.
“I’m 35, almost 36, but I feel better than ever,” said the Briton after his show of force from Spa in the Mercedes, which was still painted black. It was his 89th victory. Schumacher reached 91 in his career. Big doubts about Hamilton’s seventh title this season are not appropriate after Hamilton’s five victories in the previous seven races.
Hamilton relegated desperate teammate Valtteri Bottas from Finland and Red Bull man Max Verstappen from the Netherlands to places two and three. Hamilton now has 157 points in the standings, Verstappen has 110, Bottas has 107 – Vettel, by the way, has 16!
A restart after a severe accident, which Antonio Giovinazzi and George Russell survived unscathed in contrast to their Willams and Alfa Romeo race cars, didn’t bother Hamilton either. He controlled what happened at all times and, like two weeks before, he was driving in his own league in Barcelona.
He had already dedicated his 93rd pole on Saturday to actor Boseman and, like everyone else, he remembered Anthoine Hubert, who died in a Formula 2 race a year ago, with a minute’s silence before the start. When he started, Hamilton switched to perfection mode and made the Grand Prix a yawning race unknown with his ruthless superiority. “It was pretty boring,” Verstappen said. “I would rather have more wheel-to-wheel duels,” stressed Hamilton. Still, he enjoyed the race.
Hamilton’s victory is never in danger
Even the beginning was not very spectacular. Leclerc did better in midfield and struggled to move up six spots on the first lap in the place of his first Formula 1 victory a year ago. Vettel, a winner at Spa two years ago, was stuck. The Hessian entered the Grand Prix in 14th place, and was only able to regain one spot at the start. While permanent world champion Mercedes controlled the pace, unsurprisingly, only Verstappen was able to stay halfway into the opening phase. Unlike the rest of the top ten, the leading trio had the medium hard tire compound from the start.
But the race on the 7,004-kilometer circuit was no more a tire lottery than a show of rain: it stayed dry. Only the clash of Giovinazzi and Russel could have spoiled the order a bit. When the security car got back in, Hamilton continued to check what was happening, quietly and deliberately. In the end, fourth-placed Australian Daniel Ricciardo in a Renault achieved only the fastest lap of the race.
All this without the participation of Ferrari. “We have a lot in the box, but nothing worked,” Vettel said. In addition, misunderstandings and radio communication problems reappeared, as with Leclerc, who documents the entire situation at the Scuderia. “Why did I have to stop again?” Leclerc radioed to the pits. “We’ll tell you later,” was the reply. There is a lot to talk about with Italians before the home Grand Prix weeks.
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