LH100 – “simply an incredible career” according to Toto Wolff

He delves a little deeper into history. At the Russian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton won his 100th victory in Formula 1 in 281 race starts. He becomes the first driver to reach this milestone. Michael Schumacher had achieved 91 victories in 307 race starts. This is an accomplishment achieved by the Brit and it will now be difficult to reach.

The seven-time world champion is breaking records. This season, he has the opportunity to surpass Schumacher in terms of titles, but Max Verstappen also wants to win this title. 100 victories, including 71 with Mercedes and 21 with McLaren. A record that does not leave the other drivers indifferent, but especially Toto Wolff, the director of the German team.

« Yes, I think we are witnessing an simply amazing career. This 100th race victory is simply stunning. Today, we talk about it – it will be in the news for 24 hours – but only 20 years later, we will realize that we were part of it. No other Formula 1 athlete has done it so far and it goes beyond the races we have won. »

Misfortune for some is happiness for others. Towards the end of the race in Sochi, the rain intensified and the drivers had to change their tires to put on intermediates. With the exception of a few, namely Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. The two drivers lost everything during this Grand Prix. For the former, he had the opportunity to win his first victory in F1. Wanting to continue with his hard tires, the Briton had a lot of trouble keeping up on the track, and Hamilton could take advantage to easily take the lead. Leclerc, on the other hand, persisted after a very good race on his part. Like his friend, his car did not hold up and the Monegasque did not finish in the points. Hamilton had almost made the same mistake by hesitating to enter the pits, but his team ordered him to come in, as Wolff explains.

« Rich, who manages the weather, was categorical about the weather. It started raining, but only half of the track was wet. It was at that moment that we decided to bring Hamilton in.

But Mercedes did not expect to see Verstappen so close. Starting from the last position, the Dutchman finished in second place. A good performance on his part which allows him not to fall too far behind his rival. Only two points separate the two drivers. The strategy of the German team did not work very well.

« But of course, we are racing against Verstappen, and he also opted for intermediate tires. You want to protect the position against him. This may have made our decision a little easier. When you are leading the race, it is always difficult to make the right decision.

With this victory, Mercedes remains unbeaten in Russia and now leads Red Bull by 33 points. There are still 7 races left to determine the world champion. It should be noted that Hamilton still needs to change his engine and will therefore be penalized on a starting grid.