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Hall of Fame F1 journalist David Tremayne describes what made Lewis Hamilton’s Brazilian Grand Prix performance special and lists his win among his all-time best.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton had one of the best performances of his career when he went from P20 to P5 in the Sprint Race, and then from P10 to a win in the main race.
In his Formula1.com column David Tremayne says his performance was “up there with the best Lewis has ever produced”.
“I could highlight many great races which have stuck with me over the years: races from the time before I fell in love with F1, reports of which I read as both a child and then a younger man, penned by people who became my heroes and, in many cases, my good friends,” Tremayne wrote.
“But when you are there yourself, actually watching such events unfolding, when history is being made, it can be difficult to appreciate its true historic significance.
“That’s when hyperbole can steer your thoughts, when you can get so caught up in the passion and excitement of the moment – and haven’t we had several of those in this wonderful season – before you find that race’s true rather than immediate perspective.
“Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Sunday’s Sao Paulo GP was all of this. But with a couple of days of what Jackie Stewart calls ‘distilling time’ it becomes easier to calculate its true measure.
“And that’s why I wouldn’t hesitate to put it right up there with the best Lewis has ever produced.”
Tremayne proceeds to list all of the things Lewis had to overcome to produce such a fantastic result.
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“This, he said beforehand, was a race he really needed to win if he was to stay in the World Championship fight with Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
“He was 19 points behind, and there were 29 up for grabs at Interlagos, with the Sprint qualifier on Saturday afternoon, the Grand Prix, and fastest lap therein.
“Then there’s the fact that the rule changes, which chopped off the big section of the floor which had helped so much to make Mercedes’ low-rake concept work against the higher rake Red Bulls.
“Suddenly, Lewis and Mercedes have been on their backfoot with the inferior car for much of the season.
“After the renaissance in Turkey and Russia, it had come as a major blow to Mercedes to get blown away in Texas and Mexico City, straight line speed advantage notwithstanding.
“So Lewis had to get the job done in Brazil, and then, of course, soon after he had smashed qualifying to take a much-needed P1, came all the drama of his rear wing’s DRS aperture, when a discrepancy of 0.2 mm translated into a 20-grid place drop.
“As we well know, he overtook 15 cars to finish fifth, then dropped to 10th on the Grand Prix grid because he was using his fifth ICE of the season, and then overtook 10 more times to score his 101st victory.”
Tremayne went on to further praise the Briton’s performance.
“What he did at the wheel was simply outstanding, not the least because he made no mistakes and kept his cool after Max used the oldest trick in the book to fend him off – particularly at Turn 4 on Lap 48.
“He steered clear of that potential flashpoint, didn’t let it unsettle him, and channelled any anger into what became a successful attack.
“But for me it was what he did off the track that counted just as much. He didn’t start whining. He just kept his head down while never letting it drop, focused on his work, and did everything to help his team comrades to maintain their own motivation and the belief that they could still win.
“That, for me, was every bit as majestic as the resultant success,”
The Hall of Fame journalist then listed Lewis Brazilian GP win as the second best of his career. The no. 1 spot he kept reserved for his 2008 British Grand Prix performance.
