Lewis Hamilton wins record-breaking 92nd race
Portuguese GP - The Best Race This Season?
Photo: Mercedes-AMG F1/Twitter
"This is Tokyo Drift"
Those were the initial impressions of Portimao from McLaren driver Carlos Sainz. However, Lewis Hamilton made the most out of this drifty, undulating circuit. With his 92nd race win, the British driver has beaten Michael Schumacher's long-held record. For long, it looked like nobody will ever be able to match that record.
Lewis matched it at Nürburgring two weekends back and has now gone ahead of Michael. Records are meant to be broken but this one seemed etched on the rocks forever. The sheer grit, relentless work ethic and attention to detail has made it possible. Yes, that Mercedes-AMG car has helped him but Lewis has always been on top of it to make the win stick. Today was no different. Great champions don't just win, they win with a consistency not seen before.
Right now, Lewis is driving with a consistency that has never been seen before and I doubt we will ever see again. [Hope someone proves me wrong].
First Lap
The best place to start analyzing this race, I thought, would be qualifying. However, it seems the first lap proved mighty impressive. Lewis Hamilton, starting pole, got an excellent start and was at the lead towards turn 1 but those on soft rubbers were able to get temperature up to optimal level quicker.
This meant Lewis Hamilton was on backfoot allowing his teammate Valtteri Bottas to overtake. Then came the shocker. McLaren's Carlos Sainz was not only putting his car at the right spot but was able to beat Mercedes and take P1. It took some time for both Bottas and Lewis to get their tyres to temperature. Once they did, Mercedes started showing its true pace. Lewis Hamilton lapped 16 cars during the race today. He did not lap his own teammate, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
That is an incredible number showing how far ahead Mercedes is on true race pace. Once Bottas managed to retake the lead from Sainz, there was a moment when it looked like this was his chance. But then Lewis showed why he is on track to win his seventh world championship. Throughout this season, Lewis has not let his guard down even once.
He was able to nurse his tyres better and was catching Bottas at rapid pace. When he finally managed to overtake Bottas, he never looked back. At chequered flag, he was ahead by over 25 seconds. That is crazy. We have seen people win by two or three thousands of a second. This was bonkers. Lewis had to work hard for this 92nd race win but he showed why he is ahead of his teammate.
When the going gets tough, Valtteri Bottas seems to give up. I am not in a position to really judge Valtteri but when you get your hopes high, he falls short. He has failed to be on top of the game and has consistently had poor luck, making it almost impossible to get anywhere near his teammate. Lewis has broken Michael Schumacher's race win record. He will soon match Schumi's 7 world championship record as well.
Will there be another champion like him?
What makes one athlete win again and again is grit. Lewis Hamilton is the most gritty driver on the grid right now. He has the best car and probably Max Verstappen will be able to extract more from that car. But you cannot discount his upbringing under challenging circumstances and ability to stay on top of the game for so long.
For long, it looked like nobody will match Michael Schumacher's record of 91 race wins and 7 world championships. Now, Lewis has managed to beat the former and is on the verge of matching the latter. The question is will we see another driver to beat the records set by Lewis by the time he retires? I doubt.
With the new regulations and increasing interest in bringing the pack together, I think we will see more first-time championship winners than one driver with multiple championship wins. Overall, I see that as a great thing for the sport. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris deserve a championship because they seem worthy of it.
Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez
Charles Leclerc delivered an insane lap to qualify P4 in his Scuderia Ferrari SF1000. In comparison, his teammate Sebastian Vettel, who is a 4-time world champion, managed only P15. At this moment, Leclerc is getting better at the car he is driving. A classic sign of a champion, who sees the car as a means to reach a destination. His destination is podium finish. He may have failed to make it this weekend but the progress is remarkable.
There is a possibility that Ferrari will be better next year and Leclerc might start to win again. Sergio Perez is still not confirmed of a drive next year but he is doing an amazing job. After that lap 1 incident, he drove a recovery drive that is not only worthy of Driver of the day award but also worthy of a contract. Someone should hire him soon but not at the expense of George Russell.
Entertainment
It seemed like this race would heat up with possible rain. While rain never came, there was never loss of drama. Kimi Raikkonen bouncing from P16 at start to P6 by the end of lap 1 is a sign of a legend. He made it look so easy that most drivers on the grid this year are not even qualified to make such racing possible. They would have probably played bumper cars instead.
There were too many brilliant overtakes at turn 1 and overall, the race remained unpredictable for most part. This is the kind of race I would like to see more of in the years ahead. A race which is not only physically demanding but also tests your mental focus. A more of this on the menu please. As we go to Imola next weekend, there is too much riding and Ferrari would want to maintain this performance while Bottas will be hoping to win another race.
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