Formula 1: Hamilton’s amazing comeback
It was “mission impossible” for Lewis Hamilton, said Kevin Eason in The Times. He started the Belgian Grand Prix in 21st place, at the back of the grid, as a penalty for using too many engine parts. (Engines have six components, and drivers are only allowed to replace each of them four times a season.) That handicap left Hamilton with no chance of winning; his team predicted a best-case scenario of eighth place. Remarkably, he beat the odds to come third, making him the first driver in the race’s history to finish on the podium after starting at the back. His Mercedes teammate and “nemesis”, Nico Rosberg, won the race – but the victory was made “hollow” by the “absurd” restrictions on Hamilton. And it wasn’t enough to overturn Hamilton’s championship lead: he remains nine points ahead of Rosberg.
Hamilton has made some amazing comebacks in his career, said Giles Richards in The Guardian. But this was the pick of the lot. He struck “the perfect balance between aggression and caution”, said Daniel Johnson in The Daily Telegraph. True, he was helped by some good fortune – but having already experienced “car breakdowns, collisions and two starts from the back” this season, that was the least he deserved. Just three wins away from overtaking Alain Prost as the second-most successful driver of all time, Hamilton can now look forward to racing on courses that he has dominated in the past. It may be too early to write off Rosberg, who made a storming start to the season, winning the first four races. Yet the German driver has succeeded without truly proving himself: in his six victories this year, he hasn’t once had to overtake another car (except off the grid). At his best, Hamilton is a gutsy, thrilling driver; Rosberg, by contrast, is struggling to “catch the imagination”.