Key overtakes at Portimao propel Hamilton to victory over Verstappen and Bottas.
P1 – HAM
P2 – VER
P3 – BOT
Podium Finishers
Despite pole position resting in the hands of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton secured his second win of the season in Portimao.
An early safety car saw Hamilton dropping to P3 at the expense of the mighty Red Bull of Max Verstappen. It was a short-lived win for the Red Bull garage, though, as Hamilton got the edge of Verstappen four laps later. The quick Mercedes then went on to pass his teammate on lap 20.
Thanks to a power unit sensor issue, Verstappen was able to gain over a lowly Bottas who saw a win vanish before his eyes. It wasn’t all bad news for the Finn, as he managed to secure the fastest lap over Verstappen due to a track limits infringement.
Relief for Red Bull
After back-to-back tricky races, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez finished fourth – his highest of the season so far.
Perez’s day was – by no means – easy. He complained about the McLaren of Lando Norris exceeding track limits at the safety car restart. It was a moot point for the Mexican driver, who ultimately passed Norris on Lap 16.
Perez’s race was briefly hindered by the dismal Haas of Nikita Mazepin, who was later handed a five-second penalty for his role in the matter.
Best of the Rest
The mid field provided much of the drama today, with Carlos Sainz’s soft-tire leap on Perez at the start and Lando Norris and Esteban Ocon switching places multiple times throughout the race.
Sainz’s glory was short-lived after a mistake in turn 3, ultimately which his previous McLaren teammate, Lando Norris took advantage of. The brit ultimately ending at a brilliant P5 while Sainz a disappointing 11th.
The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc couldn’t get the best of McLaren today, ending 6th.
Fernando Alonso reminded many of us why he’s a two-time world champion in his late passes over Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo. The Alpine duo ended the race with a very respectable P7 (Ocon) and P8 (Alonso).
Ricciardo had a busy day in his papaya McLaren, jumping from P16 to P13 following the safety car, ultimately scoring points at P9. Surely the Aussie is hoping to get the edge on the McLaren sooner rather than later!
Looking Ahead
It’s lights out in only one week’s time as the grid returns to a Hamilton strong-hold: the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Will anyone – including Verstappen – be able to answer to the seven-time world champion?
