Opinion: Alex Kalinauckas

The discomfort of cramp was an unexpected hurdle for Lewis Hamilton to overcome on his drive into history in Portugal. But like everything else, it wasn’t about to beat him

“I got the feeling that it was about to pull. It popped and it hurt so much, I had to lift”

Lewis Hamilton has long been accustomed to making Formula 1 history. Even before his win in last Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix he had, among others, the records for most pole positions, most podiums and most points. But with his triumph at the Algarve Circuit he now has the highest wins total.

That victory has also pulled him so far clear of team-mate and title rival Valtteri Bottas in the points that it seems inevitable (pandemic aberrations notwithstanding) that he will triumph in the 2020 championship. He could do so as soon as next month’s Turkish GP, and his victory strike rate shows no sign of slowing.

He is undefeated in championship terms since his bitter loss to former team-mate Nico Rosberg in 2016 – after which it has been suggested he has worked to eliminate as many inadequacies from each weekend performance as possible. This is to brace against the unexpected: unreliability or accidents. Which is why it was rather surprising when he encountered a brief moment of weakness (in the physical sense) while on his way to winning in Portugal.

Heading into the race’s final eight laps, Hamilton reported a vicious bout of cramp affecting his right calf. It had initially struck a few laps before, as he raced onto the track’s main straight, forcing the world champion to briefly step off the gas before Turn 1.

When asked about the issue by Autosport, Hamilton explained: “I generally didn’t drink a lot today and I remember getting into the car thinking,‘i’m probably going to be dehydrated.’i never drink in the race, never. Anyway, I started having small cramps. You never really get to rest [here].

“I was coming around Turn 15 onto the straight, and I got the feeling that it was about to pull – like pulling a muscle. It popped and it hurt so much, I had to lift and I didn’t really know what to do because every time I applied it the pain was there. It’s just mind over matter, so I just had to keep pushing.”

Most understand how painful and awkward a cramp attack can be, as a muscle suddenly tightens and shortens. But few have gone through such an experience at the wheel of an F1 car, racing at high speed while trying to extend a gap over a championship rival, with a key win and moment of history on the line.

The issue did not really affect Hamilton. In the final 10 laps to the finish, he never completed a lap slower than Bottas, and set the race’s fastest lap, which underlined Hamilton’s superiority on race day. He had worked to balance his tyre management over both ends of his W11, ensuring he kept critical heat in his tyres. His decisiveness in traffic was also a key factor in bettering Bottas.

But Hamilton’s admission that he suspected he’d encounter dehydration is slightly surprising, given his reputation for doing everything he can to eliminate potential pitfalls.

When it comes to hydration, the drivers try to get as prepared as possible, knowing they will need the liquid benefits when temperatures and pressures rise in the cockpit. This means consuming the right nutrients and electrolytes to keep them alert and functioning at their peak. The amount of fluid weight they will lose is calculated ahead of time to keep things stable, which is where pre-event hydration is key.

This is an ongoing process over the weekend, not a case of just necking gallons before stepping into the car, as the body can only take on so much without flushing out the excess.

At intensely hot and humid events such as the Singapore GP, their drinks bottle fluids will get incredibly hot, more akin to hot tea than thirst-quenching cool relief. This makes it hard to consume and is why so much preparation is required over a whole F1 event.

But the air temperatures near Portimao never got above 22C all weekend, which created the problem of generating tyre heat. So it’s odd that Hamilton got into difficulty. Back in 2017, he was racing without a drinks bottle to save car weight. These days, he has it available, but just chooses not to use it.

This isn’t to admonish him. It’s merely a reminder of the lengths to which he has gone, and will continue to go, to grab every opportunity on offer. The idea is to be bulletproof, which he briefly was not last weekend.

In any case, the problem did not stop Hamilton winning and making history and, given his attitude to eliminating any such minor weakness – as well as his desire to beat determined younger rivals – it is unlikely to become a common theme.

Before the grand prix weekend in Portugal got under way, Hamilton’s Mercedes future was again in the headlines – understandable given his new contract remains so far unsigned. But Hamilton hinted that he may yet have

“a decent amount of time”left in F1.

If Hamilton’s F1 career goes on for years to come, his focus on self-improvement and overcoming every little problem will surely lead him to take the wins record to well over 100 victories.

Now a record-breaker every time he wins, he’s at a stage in his life when he only has himself to beat.