Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula One driver to win 100 races with victory in the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday to retake the championship lead from Max Verstappen. (More Motorsports News)
Hamilton dropped to seventh place but fought back and passed Lando Norris for the win. 바카라It바카라s taken a long time to get to 100 and at times, I wasn바카라t sure it would come,바카라 Hamilton said. It was Hamilton바카라s fifth win of the season and his first since the British Grand Prix in July.
바카라It바카라s a magical moment,바카라 Hamilton said. 바카라I could only have dreamed of still being here and having this opportunity to win these races and get to drive with such phenomenal talents this late in my career.바카라
Hamilton turned Verstappen바카라s five-point championship lead into a two-point lead of his own after the Dutch driver finished second after a dramatic drive from last on the grid. After his tough start, Hamilton started moving up with a tough overtake around the outside of Fernando Alonso, a duel with echoes of their season as teammates when Hamilton was a rookie in 2007.
Verstappen started last after a penalty for an engine change but sliced through the field and had Hamilton in sight by the halfway stage. Hamilton바카라s Mercedes worked better on the hard tires in the second half of the race.
But then the rain came and Verstappen switched to intermediate tires early, allowing him to claim an unexpected podium finish and limit the damage to his hopes of a first title.
바카라We didn바카라t lose so many points today, so that바카라s really, really good,바카라 Verstappen told his team over the radio. It doesn바카라t take much rain to make a difference in Sochi, where the flat track means water is slow to drain away.
If not for the rain, Hamilton said, 바카라it would have been tough to get past Lando. He had great pace.바카라 Norris had been aiming to give McLaren back-to-back wins after Daniel Ricciardo took victory at the last race in Italy when Hamilton and Verstappen collided.
Hamilton has now won the Russian Grand Prix on five of eight occasions, and his victory Sunday continues a clean sweep of victories in Russia for Mercedes cars.
