Nurburgring: Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula One wins on Sunday when he guided his Mercedes to a narrow, if measured, victory at a frantic Eifel Grand Prix.
Taking full advantage of teammate and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas’ early retirement with engine problems, the runaway series leader and six-time champion drove a well-judged race to claim his seventh victory from 11 contests this year.
“What a result,” he said on the Mercedes team radio after taking the chequered flag clear of Max Verstappen for Red Bull with Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo in third.
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In a touching tribute, Mick Schumacher presented Hamilton with one of his father’s race helmets.
“Seeing Michael’s dominance for so long I don’t think anyone especially me could ever think of getting near Michael in terms of records,” said Hamilton.
On a circuit where Germany’s seven-time champion Schumacher won five times, Hamilton took his second Nurburgring victory — his previous was for McLaren in 2011.
Bottas’ bad luck handed Hamilton his chance and almost certainly ended his own title bid as the Briton moved 69 points clear ahead of him in the drivers’ championship.
Ricciardo’s podium success meant that he had won a bet with Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, requiring the Frenchman to get a tattoo prescribed for him by the Australian.
Sergio Perez finished fourth for Racing Point ahead of Carlos Sainz of McLaren, Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and ‘super-sub’ Nico Hulkenberg of Racing Point.
For Hulkenberg, it was a remarkable result coming only 24 hours after he had jumped into the cockpit of Lance Stroll’s car after a late call to action from a cafe in Cologne.
Romain Grosjean, with an injured finger, was ninth for Haas ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo.
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull
3. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault
4. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Racing Point
5. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren
6. Pierre Gasly, France, Toro Rosso
7. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari
8. Nico Hulkenberg, Germany, Racing Point
9. Romain Grosjean, France, Haas
10. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo
11. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari
12. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo
13. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas
14. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams
15. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Toro Rosso
16. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren
17. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull
18. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault
19. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes
20. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams
Driver Standings
1. Lewis Hamilton 205 pts
2. Valtteri Bottas 161
3. Max Verstappen 128
4. Lando Norris 65
5. Alexander Albon 64
6. Daniel Ricciardo 63
7. Charles Leclerc 57
8. Lance Stroll 57
9. Sergio Perez 56
10. Pierre Gasly 45
11. Carlos Sainz Jr 41
12. Esteban Ocon 36
13. Sebastian Vettel 17
14. Daniil Kvyat 14
15. Nico Hulkenberg 6
16. Kimi Raikkonen 2
17. Antonio Giovinazzi 2
18. Kevin Magnussen 1
Manufacturers Standings
1. Mercedes 366
2. Red Bull 192
3. McLaren 106
4. Racing Point 104
5. Renault 99
6. Ferrari 74
7. Toro Rosso 59
8. Alfa Romeo 4
9. Haas 1
10. Williams 0
