© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
By Carol M. Creasey
Lewis Hamilton arrived in Sochi fully focused on trying to regain his championship lead. After a frustrating non finish in Italy, it made him even more determined to try and make up for points lost.
His car showed good pace in FP1 and FP2, with only Valtteri Bottas ahead of him. Lewis rarely shows all his pace in practice, he saves it for qualifying. However, on Saturday the rain came, so FP3 was cancelled. It was suggested that qualifying might take place on Sunday morning, but suddenly, the rain stopped, and the cars went out on track.
It was clear that Lewis was in his element in Q1 And Q2, he topped the time sheets, and this continued into Q3, giving him provisional pole. But then it was a scramble to change to dry weather tyres, and with very little time left to do another lap, Lewis misjudged his entry into the pits and hit the wall. He had to then have a new front wing.
When he came out he was on the back foot, as his tyres were not warm, so he was unable to improve his time and ended up qualifying in fourth position. He was naturally very disappointed with this, but vowed to fight even harder tomorrow. Of course it prompted armchair critics to highlight his mistake, but what we all need to remember is that he is human, just like the rest of us, and the most critical person about his mistake will be himself.
Bottas qualified in P7 and Max Verstappen didn’t drive at all, as he had an engine penalty, and had to start the race from the back of the grid. This, of course, neutralised the three-place grid penalty he was given for his crash with Lewis in Italy. Lando Norris took a fine pole position, with Carlos Sainz in 2nd and George Russel in 3rd.
On Sunday the weather was dry at the start of the race. When the lights went out Carlos Sainz snatched the lead from Lando Norris, but Lewis, who was on the dirty side of the track, made a cautious start, obviously not wanting to risk being hit. This ultimately demoted him down to 7th place.
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He kept his cool and gradually worked his way up to 2nd, partly by overtaking, but also because of pit stops. He had been stuck behind Daniel Ricciardo for a while unable to overtake, but he was freed when Ricciardo pitted. Verstappen started from the back, and made his way to 6th. Bottas also started at the back, as he had to have a new power unit again, but initially could get no higher than 14th place.
Then came the rain, and everything changed. Initially it was light, and Lewis ignored his team at first when they called him in for intermediate tyres, as did Lando, who was by then leading the race. Lewis was very close, and did not want to give up his position, but as the rain got heavier, he realised it was imperative to make the stop. The inevitable happened, Lando slid in the wet, and Lewis claimed first place and went on to clinch his 100th victory. It was a historic moment, as he became the first driver to reach this incredible milestone. After the race Toto Wolff hailed his incredible achievement, commenting that he probably won’t be truly appreciated until after he retires.
Verstappen did a good recovery drive to finish in P2, but was 53 seconds behind Lewis. Bottas also recovered to 5th, thanks to coming in for intermediate tyres, and Carlos Sainz completed the podium in 3rd place. Mercedes now leads the constructors championship by 33 points, but although Lewis is now the championship leader, it is by a mere 2 points, which shows just how tight the battle is.
After all is said and done, Lewis’ records speak for themselves, and the effort that he is putting into trying to defend his championship is to be applauded. We still have seven races left, and I am hoping his experience will stand him in good stead, just as it did previously while he was fighting Sebastian Vettel from 2017 until 2019. Contrary to what the media states, Lewis has not always had the fastest car, and he obviously doesn’t have one this year either, so he will have to use all of his considerable driving skills to prevail. I wish him the very best of luck.
And, finally, congratulations Sir Lewis on your 100 wins, you have made Britain, and all your fans worldwide very proud!
Be sure to follow Carol on Twitter @eagertogo and visit her website www.carolmcreasey.com!
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