Portuguese Grand Prix: The Editorial’s Top/Flop

THE TOP 3

1. Hamilton further into history

Figures that make your head spin. Records that most of us thought were unbeatable finally matched and then surpassed. That’s what has become the routine for Lewis Hamilton!

The British driver wrote a new chapter in the great history of Formula 1 during this Portuguese Grand Prix by achieving his 92nd victory, allowing him to surpass Michael Schumacher.

However, not everything was so simple for him in this race. At the start, despite a good move and a first corner taken smoothly, Hamilton was surprised by the rain, like most of the drivers. With medium tires that were harder to warm up, the Englishman lost a position to Bottas and then another to Carlos Sainz.

But once his tires were warmed up, Hamilton successively got rid of the Spaniard and then his teammate to secure a victory with more than a 25-second lead over Bottas and only 4 drivers on the same lap.

Masterful.

2. Gasly / Ocon, the Norman drivers on fire in Portimão

Another solid Grand Prix from Pierre Gasly! Starting 9th on the grid, he held his position despite a chaotic first lap. Little by little, the Frenchman, a very good manager of his tires, overtook his opponents one by one.

Stopping on the 28th lap to swap his soft tires for mediums, Pierre Gasly is one of the last drivers with soft tires to make a stop, allowing him to have fresher tires at the end of the race.

After a great battle against Ricciardo and a beautiful overtaking on the outside, Gasly had a huge scare when Perez cut across him to defend a few laps from the finish. But the AlphaTauri driver got past the Mexican on the following lap to secure a superb top 5 for his team. A true team leader!

Esteban Ocon was not left behind either! Starting 11th on medium tires, the Renault driver had a very discreet but devilishly efficient first part of the race, climbing up to 5th place with his alternate strategy.

After an endless 53-lap run, Esteban is the last to pit for soft tires and takes 4 points for 8th place ahead of his teammate Ricciardo.

Ocon may finally have his standout race this season!

3. Rain, crash, Sainz, Räikkönen… a first lap of madness!

When we remember the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix in a few years, we will think of Lewis Hamilton’s record, but we will especially recall that absolutely sensational first lap where everything came together!

At the start, the drivers on the clean side of the grid mostly all get off to a very good start, unlike their neighbors, like Bottas, who almost loses two places at the beginning.

At turn 2, Bottas assertively challenges Verstappen and pushes him to the outside to reclaim second place. Hoping to take advantage, Perez follows Bottas but cuts back in too early on Verstappen, and the two drivers collide, causing chaos in the pack.

But that is not the only disruptive element! The rain comes into play and surprises most of the drivers. Hamilton is the first to surrender the lead to Bottas… but only for a few moments! Because the McLaren drivers, on fire in this first lap, overtake their opponents one by one and it’s Sainz who crosses the line first at the end of the first lap.

Finally, how can we not talk about Kimi Räikkönen! Starting from 16th place, Iceman overtook his rivals one by one, sometimes on the inside, sometimes on the outside, showcasing his experience to find himself in 6th place by the end of the first lap.

Did you say fabulous?

THE FLOP 3

1. Bottas, king of disillusionment

Once again, a perfect start to the weekend made us hope for a surge of pride from the Finnish driver. Unfortunately, the rest is known and so repetitive.

Valtteri Bottas dominated all the practice sessions and qualifying… until that masterful final lap by Hamilton in Q3, granting him pole position. Bottas can only blame himself: he alone decided to do just one fast lap in his last attempt while the track was improving!

During the race, after missing his start and jostling with Verstappen, he takes the lead from Hamilton when the latter slows down due to the rain and his cold tires. He also loses his position to Sainz but regains it three laps later.

It is then believed that number 77 is on track to manage this Grand Prix, but on the 19th lap, lacking rhythm, he is overtaken by Lewis at the first corner and never regains the lead. He finishes second over 25 seconds behind and sees his last hopes for the title vanish, if he still had any left.

2. Albon, the exit door is getting closer.

Christian Horner has issued him an ultimatum. In Portugal and Imola, Albon will need to raise his game and have a very good weekend to hope to keep his seat next year.

It’s an understatement to say that the Thai driver just burned his first shot this weekend. Starting 6th, he lost the race right from the start, finding himself stuck in the pack, navigating between 10th and 15th place.

His two-stop strategy didn’t pay off, and the hardest part was seeing his teammate Verstappen, on the race podium, lap him as he finished 12th and out of the points with a Red Bull, notably behind the Renaults, the Ferraris, and especially the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly.

His leaders said he would remain in place until the end of the season and that his seat was not in danger until Abu Dhabi. However, if Albon fails once again in Imola, the specter of a Gasly-like eviction could resurface.

Indeed, Red Bull might want to test Hülkenberg, who is available on the market, with a view to next season. Albon is more than ever on hot coals!

3. Racing Point: Perez Wastes a Great Opportunity, Stroll Back at It Again

A choice that may seem surprising. How can a driver voted by the fans as “Driver of the Day” end up in our Flop 3? Yet, you’ll see, there are plenty of explanations.

Indeed, Sergio Pérez made a superb comeback to finish 7th in a race that seemed lost after two turns. But that would only be to stop at reading the result and not the essence of the race.

Starting P5, Perez gets a very good start and nearly overtakes Bottas at the first corner. He’s now P4. When Bottas fiercely regains his position from Verstappen, Perez appears eager and wants to take advantage immediately.

His maneuver could have been magnificent if the Mexican hadn’t sharply cut across the Dutch driver, causing their collision. He resumed without too much trouble, pitted on the first lap, and switched to medium tires.

He climbs back up thanks to the stops of others and his fresher tires into the top 5. On the 45th lap, he pits again to fit soft tires to finish the race.

However, with too many laps remaining, he is caught up by the Gasly/Sainz tandem. The Frenchman, with DRS open, tries an overtaking maneuver, but in an overly strong desire to maintain his position, Perez executes another dangerous move that could have been fatal.

Finally, the Mexican will yield to his two opponents and take a 7th place that limits the damage. But the outcome should have been much better.

As for his teammate Lance Stroll, the Canadian made a mark with his remarkable collision with Lando Norris, reminiscent of the one with Verstappen in FP2. Another Grand Prix to forget, which he ended up retiring from on the 51st lap. It’s now 4 GPs since Stroll last scored a point.

Racing Point once again loses points rather foolishly because of its driver duo.

With a fierce three-way battle with Renault and McLaren for third place in the constructors’ championship, these lost points could be very costly for the English team!