FORMULA LEWIS THE LEGEND
Hamilton becomes first to net a century of wins as vital decision in the rain ends Lando’s hopes
IT was appropriate that Lewis Hamilton’s 100th win should come courtesy of the rain gods with whom he has partied so often across the 14 years and 108 days between his first victory and his unmatched century.
But, heavens above, it was cruel for Lando Norris, one of the British boys dreaming of emulating a little of what the seven-time world champion has achieved.
For Hamilton, smiles. For Norris, tears. He had come within two laps of winning the Russian Grand Prix, of registering what would have been his first victory at the age of 21, but he finished seventh after failing to change tyres as the clouds opened.
a fair while later, as dusk fell, the McLaren driver thumped his thigh angrily in an unguarded moment as he walked from one media inquisition to the next. He briefly broke down mid-interview.
For much of the afternoon he had us on the edge of our seats here in sochi wondering if he could become the youngest British winner in Formula One.
He started on pole, was passed by Ferrari’s Carlos sainz, who capitalised on the tow offered by the long drag into the first braking zone, and retook the lead on lap 13. From then he produced a fluent, mature display.
But Hamilton, after a poor start and a mediocre middle from fourth on the grid, was right into his stride and on Norris’s tail as the climax beckoned. The hunted Lando kept his cool. If the rain had hit this Black sea resort 10 minutes later, he would have climbed to the top of the podium.
The question was whether to stay out on slicks or come in for intermediates. The puzzle was put to Norris by race engineer will Joseph: ‘Inters?’
‘No!’ Norris screamed. so he stayed out. Hamilton was called in for the crucial rebooting against his expressed instincts with four laps to play out. Norris persevered in his high heels.
spits turned into a sprinkle. a sprinkle turned into drizzle. Drizzle turned into rain.
Hamilton, more experienced at 36, had listened to his pit wall.
Norris, admittedly with everything to lose, paid a high price for sticking to his guns. He was soon skating all over the show and finally conceded he needed to put on his wellies.
‘It is heartbreaking,’ said Norris. ‘It is a terrible feeling to be on the verge of winning a grand prix and then losing it, not because of a silly error but in this kind of way.
‘staying out wasn’t a gamble at all. I was told it would not be raining hard, so staying on slicks was the right call. They were the best tyres. It was just that the rain got harder than I was told or the team knew. we need to go talk through that. But I have to stand by my decision.’
well, if only they had followed Mercedes’ lead as their pit crew gathered for their pivotal stop! Norris would likely have won. He would certainly have finished at least second.
as it was, Max Verstappen was runner-up, remarkably zooming up from the back of the grid in his rampant Red Bull.
sainz finished third for Ferrari. The spaniard is driving well. By the way, is Charles Leclerc, who finished 15th, still the scuderia’s No1?
Hamilton’s triumph meant he retook the championship lead for the first time since leaving silverstone victorious in July. He is in front of Verstappen by two points with seven rounds remaining.
Yes, it was a good day for the winner, to an extent, but a layer of sparkle was rubbed off by his sole rival’s tangible damage limitation after he had been penalised for taking a new engine.
we should take a moment to celebrate the scale of Hamilton’s century. Michael schumacher won 91 times, a record that seemed beyond reach when he took his leave of Ferrari at the end of 2006 with a fine drive in Brazil.
Undoubtedly, Hamilton has been helped to his peaks by a Mercedes car that has dominated the field and made his rich harvest easier to pick. and there are more races on the calendar than ever, too.
But to have sustained his level of performance from his maiden win in Canada in June 2007 until yesterday, and counting, suggests his numbers will remain unsurpassed for a long while — if not eternity. He has done it in the wet, in the dry, in the day and in the dark.
Hamilton and Norris spoke in the paddock afterwards, both smiling and joshing.
Hamilton said of the man who on saturday took from him the distinction of being Britain’s youngest ever pole sitter: ‘I sympathise with Lando. He is so young, and has so many wins ahead of him. He did a fantastic job yesterday.
‘He is doing a great job leading that team. McLaren won the last race with Daniel (Ricciardo). They are now hard to beat for all of us.
‘My decision to come in was just blind faith in the team. They called me in and I believed them. That is part of our journey together.
‘They were 100 per cent right. I had to play my role to get us in that position in order for it to work, but teamwork makes the dream work.’
Memo to Lando and McLaren.
HERE is the breakdown of Lewis Hamilton’s amazing career after he became the first driver to win 100 grands prix...