TON DUSTED
Lewis snatches glory from Lando to rack up century of wins
JUST when it seemed as though a young British upstart would rain on Lewis Hamilton’s parade, the seventime world champion looked to the heavens for inspiration.
There were only five laps to race in Russia and Lando Norris was on the verge of a first Grand Prix victory to become the third youngest winner in history.
By the time those five laps were over, though, F1’s greatest gladiator had become the sport’s only centurion.
But make no mistake, Hamilton needed all his skill and racing intelligence – as well
as a large slice of weather luck – to force his Mercedes past the 21-year-old’s McLaren and on to the 100th chequered flag of his record-breaking 15-season career.
Norris had held off the F1 GOAT until the storm clouds blew in. He decided to risk the final five laps on slick tyres while Hamilton dived in for fresh ones to cope with the rain.
Hamilton lost 26 seconds in doing so but by the time he re-emerged, the rain was heavy and Norris was gently nudging his car round.
His massive lead – and hopes of a richly deserved win – evaporated in two laps.
Hamilton, who started his F1 career with McLaren
KEITH WEBSTER
in 2007, commiserated with Norris. After claiming his landmark victory, the 36-yearold said: “Lando did an amazing job, he had incredible pace. He’s doing a great job for McLaren. This was bittersweet. It’s nice to see my old team ahead.
“I know it’s not been the best of weather but what a race it provided.
“The team made such a good call at the end. I’m incredibly grateful to all these men and women here and back in the factory. Wow, 100!”
And Hamilton revealed he started the race hell-bent on making up for his errors in qualifying the day before, which left him down in fourth on the grid.
He added: “There were subtle, little mistakes. I was determined to do the best job I could. It was tough.”
The heartbreak of having the weather snatch a famous win from Norris’ grasp was clear to see.
He said: “I’m unhappy, devastated in a way. We made a call to stay out and we stand by that.”
Max Verstappen started from the back of the grid but finished second to make sure that Hamilton’s lead in the driver standings is just two points.