Wo Do you take away the effect of what feels like the German king of racing drivers? In its realm. As Michael Schumacher once did, Lewis Hamilton circled the Nürburgring Grand Prix track on Sunday. Only lost the crystal clear opening duel against his team mate Valtteri Bottas at eye level in the first corner. Later he pushed past the Finn, left the closest pursuer by ten seconds, also won the flying restart after a neutralization and won ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (Renault).
The triumph at the Grand Prix of the Eifel is the Englishman’s seventh win of the season. But career performance appears even more important. When Hamilton turned into the pit lane in front of 14,000 spectators, the scoreboard with a likeness of himself and Schumacher showed him what he had achieved in 13 years: “Equal wins”, the equality among the nominally best in Formula 1 history: 91 victories. Who would have thought that?
Hamilton doesn’t. “You couldn’t imagine anyone setting this record. That it is me is unbelievable, ”said the Briton. Shortly before, Mick Schumacher had come to him during the Formula 1 winner interview and presented the chief pilot with a helmet from his father. Hamilton looked surprised and moved. “I’m so honored,” he said, grabbing his cap: “Words fail me. When you grow up watching someone whose quality can be seen from race to race, in different teams. He was dominant for so long. I need a little time to realize that. ”But probably not much to take the next step, past Schumacher with victories, to a level with titles (seven).
Valtteri Bottas understood more quickly. He just had to look up at the podium with the winner to understand that the big attack was probably over this year. Poor Finn. Once again he lost a chance to get closer to Hamilton in the fight for the World Cup, to reopen the title race. Fastest on Saturday, uncompromisingly at the start during the wheel-to-wheel duel with the champion on Sunday, first after the first lap. But 45 minutes later a pile of misery. Defeated, first by itself and finally by the trickery of technology. “I saw that he had small problems with the front wheels and pushed,” said Hamilton.
With the six-time world champion behind his neck, the Finn shot towards the first corner on lap 13, the front wheels locked for a long time. When the smoke from the burning tire rubber subsided, Hamilton rushed past the lead on the way to the second corner as if on rails. With ruined tires Bottas tormented himself to the pit stop, when third back he was sobered before a technical defect finally brought him to his knees. The loss of power in the stern gave him the end of the day for coffee. In the drivers’ championship he is now 69 points behind Hamilton. There are still six races to go. There are 25 points for each win. “Very unhappy,” says Bottas thoughtfully, “very unhappy.”
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