The National - News

Hamilton shows his fighting qualities to secure magnificen­t victory in Portugal

- THE NATIONAL

Lewis Hamilton delivered a magnificen­t drive in his Mercedes to win the Portuguese Grand Prix yesterday.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton’s 97th grand prix triumph extended his early-season lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings to eight points.

In third place in Portimao was pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas in the other Mercedes with Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull in fourth. “That was such a tough race physically and mentally. I didn’t get a good start and also lost out at the restart but it was a great result in the end,” Hamilton said.

“There’s a lot to download from today, improvemen­ts we can make. It wasn’t all perfect so we will look at those points.

“It wasn’t all perfect and we need to get ready now for the quick turnaround for Spain.”

At a sun-drenched Algarve Internatio­nal Circuit, Bottas led Hamilton from the two Red Bulls into the first corner.

By the end of the first lap, it was the safety car which led after the two Alfa Romeos collided, with Kimi Raikkonen’s front wing littered across the straight after clipping Antonio Giovinazzi’s car.

Bottas carefully controlled the rolling restart on Lap 7 but, in his rearview mirror, he will have seen Verstappen charge past Hamilton and into second. “That a boy” was the pleased reaction on the team radio from the Red Bull pits.

Four laps later and a mistake by the Dutchman on Turn 14, however, let Hamilton regain second, darting past on the inside with Verstappen snapping: “I’m just a sitting duck on the straight. It’s unbelievab­le.”

Hamilton hit the front with a superb sweeping move past Bottas at the start of lap 20, quickly establishi­ng daylight between the Mercedes men.

Verstappen was the first of the leading group to pit on lap 36, with Bottas next, followed by Hamilton, with Perez yet to change tyres, in front.

With 13 laps left, Hamilton edged past Perez to regain control of the season’s third race, and from there the race was his to lose.

“I think Max made a mistake at some point and that was perfect. With Valtteri, I had to make the move early on before the tyres were destroyed and I just managed to get him at Turn 1. Right on my limit. Great race,” Hamilton said.

“We were not on top of it here but we’ll see what we can do in Barcelona,” said Verstappen, referring to next weekend’s race in Spain. “At the end, I think we just lacked a little bit of pace but overall, Lewis got by again and once after the pit stop, the warm-up is super hard on these tyres.

Intrigue in the closing stages surrounded the question of who would end up with a potentiall­y crucial point for the fastest lap.

Verstappen thought he had clinched it only for his effort to be ruled out due to track limits with Bottas taking the honours.

The Red Bulls are emerging as serious challenger­s to Mercedes’ supremacy but the world champions have evidently worked hard to redress any imbalance in performanc­e between the two teams.

And it is Hamilton, in his quest for a record eighth world crown, who has won twice, adding this to his opening-race success in Bahrain, with Verstappen the winner in Imola.

Sitting third in the drivers’ standings is Lando Norris for resurgent McLaren after the Briton came in fifth yesterday.

He came in ahead of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, with the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo [McLaren] and the Alpha Tauri of Pierre Gasly completing the top 10.

That was such a tough race physically and mentally. I didn’t get a good start .... but it was a great result in the end LEWIS HAMILTON

Mercedes driver

 ?? EPA ?? Lewis Hamilton fought back to pass both Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen to win in Portugal and secure his 97th grand prix triumph
EPA Lewis Hamilton fought back to pass both Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen to win in Portugal and secure his 97th grand prix triumph

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