HAMILTON HAILS ‘A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY’
FORMULA 1
LEWIS HAMILTON hailed Gareth Southgate’s England players yesterday – seconds after he returned to the top of the world championship.
The victory was the 65th of Hamilton’s F1 career but the Briton’s first in France, which was returning to the calendar after a 10-year absence, and continued a triumphant day for Auld Enemy sports fans.
“Great work guys! I’m so happy for England as well,” he said over the team radio, referring to the football team’s 6-1 World Cup rout of Panama in Russia earlier in the day.
“It’s a beautiful Sunday, everyone.”
Hamilton ruled from start to finish to claim his third win of the season and move 14 points clear of Germany’s Sebastien Vettel.
Hamilton added: “I feel very grateful, just grateful for a solid weekend.
“I have been with my guys for six years at Mercedes and they keep pushing boundaries and never give up. This is a great day.
“I hadn’t thought about leading the championship but that’s where I want to be.”
Vettel smashed into Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes on the 210mph opening-bend charge at the Paul Ricard Circuit and was forced to stop for a new front wing.
The German was penalised with a five-second penalty, and recovered to finish fifth, but it marked his fifth highprofile mistake in the last 12 months.
Max Verstappen crossed the line in second place as Kimi Raikkonen overtook Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages to complete the podium positions.