Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to achieve his 100th victory in Formula 1 history after winning the Russian Grand Prix final.
From fourth place on stage, the seven-time world champion will be able to drive his race in the first period, put on his tires and finish second behind McLaren’s Lando Norris after the first pit stop.
Winning the Russian Grand Prix was hard for Hamilton, and Norris showed the right pace and performance. However, rain cards were mixed in the final rounds of the race, forcing pitchers and drivers to make pit stops using ‘intermediate’ tires.
Mercedes was one of those drivers, while Norris stepped inside and refused an emergency stop so Hamilton could take chances after Norris slipped, taking the lead in the race. The good news doesn’t stop here, as he topped the drivers ’rankings!
“It took a long time to win the centenary and I didn’t know I would reach that number,” Hamilton said after the race.
Hamilton admitted that it would have been difficult to pass Norris without the chance that came after the rain. The world champion thanked his physiotherapist Angela Colin after treating the neck pain he experienced after an accident with Red Bull driver Max Vershappan at the last Monza race.
Before this race, Hamilton admitted that the wait for his 100th victory was longer than expected because it was his last win at Silverstone 5 races before.
At the time he said: “That victory will come when the time comes, but of course I will do everything I can to win the 100th race. This is a big number. The wait seems to have taken longer than expected, but it is a worthwhile number.”
Hamilton became the most successful driver in Formula One when he broke the record of German legend Michael Schumacher, who won his 92nd victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix last year.
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