Lewis Hamilton claims record-breaking F1 win with Portuguese GP triumph
Lewis Hamilton took the 92nd victory of his career to set a new Formula 1 record for most wins with a crushing performance at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Hamilton converted the 97th pole position of his career into a win that surpassed Michael Schumacher’s previous all-time benchmark of victories at Portimao, but it was far from straightforward having recovered from losing ground during a crazy start to the race.
The Briton fought back to pass Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, before surging clear to seal a dominant eighth victory from the first 12 races of the season.
At times Hamilton lapped nearly a second clear of Bottas as he turned in a masterclass in tyre management to charge to a record-breaking win.
Max Verstappen was unable to challenge the dominant Mercedes duo for victory as he finished a distant third to complete the podium for Red Bull.
Having initially maintained his lead at the start, Hamilton was among a number of drivers who struggled to get their tyres up to temperature amid cold conditions and a slippery surface with light rain falling in the opening exchanges at the Algarve International Circuit.
Hamilton was quickly swallowed up by Bottas and even fell behind McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, who briefly held the lead after taking advantage of his grippier Soft tyres in what was a brilliant opening lap for the Spaniard.
Sainz’s spell at the front lasted just six laps as Bottas swept around the outside at Turn 1, before Hamilton followed suit at the end of the lap.
Bottas looked to be in control for much of the opening stint, before Hamilton mounted an attack and overtook the Finn along the start-finish straight on Lap 20, before charging clear to open up a huge advantage, despite suffering from cramp in the final few laps.
Hamilton ultimately crossed the line over 25s ahead of Bottas in the biggest winning margin of the season to move a step closer to winning a record-equalling seventh drivers’ world title.
Charles Leclerc claimed an excellent fourth place for Ferrari as the final driver to finish on the lead lap, while AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly snatched fifth place by passing Sergio Perez on the penultimate tour.
McLaren's Carlos Sainz launched a late attack to take sixth ahead of Perez on the very last lap, with the Racing Point driver left to take a strong seventh with a brilliant comeback through the field after being spun off by Verstappen on the opening lap.
Renault duo Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel completed the points-paying positions in Portugal.
