Lewis Hamilton was victorious at the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday, but that didn’t stop Max Verstappen from targeting his title rival again. Hamilton took his 100th Grand Prix victory after a thrilling finish in Sochi, where he overtook the leader Lando Norris after heavy rain had wreaked havoc on the final laps.
Norris, who took his first pole position on Saturday, was leading in his McLaren with five laps to go when it began to rain.
It was light at first and Norris and his team played by not pitting for treaded intermediate tires. Hamilton himself initially ignored the orders and stayed outside before making up his mind when conditions worsened.
It turned out to be crucial as the Mercedes man got his British compatriot, who at the time was struggling to simply stay on track, duly caught, and the development also benefited Verstappen, who went from seventh to second with a tire change advanced.
Norris, 21, eventually pitted himself after telling his team over the radio that he couldn’t do this anymore, but by that point his dream day was foiled and he finished seventh.
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However, Hamilton, 36, wasn’t exactly enjoying a vintage weekend despite his win.
He only qualified fourth after breaking the pit wall and damaging his front wing, and after the delay, spinning on the track on his final lap trying to go faster than Norris. Hamilton later admitted that he was “incredibly disappointed” in himself about the mistake, and Verstappen took the chance to pocket the boot.
The Dutchman, whose second place after starting from the end of the grid was an excellent result, told reporters: ‘You did the pit entry a couple of times back then so I think you understand how slippery it is.
“I do not know what happened. I saw the replay quickly so I didn’t actually see it. Of course it would be better not to make that mistake, but I think he knows that too. ‘
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Verstappen was relegated to the bottom of the grid after changing his Honda engine on Friday, and although he is now two points behind Hamilton in the overall standings, he and Red Bull would have gladly accepted this deficit in advance.
The pair were no stranger to verbal sparring this season when they clashed at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July, an incident that resulted in the 23-year-old requiring hospital treatment. Hamilton was found guilty that day but recovered from a 10-second penalty and triumphed at his home Grand Prix.
It sparked a bitter battle of words when Verstappen despised his rival for celebrating his win despite the circumstances, and things came to a head again this month at Monza when another tangle between the two ended their race prematurely.
This time, however, it was Verstappen who was blamed for fault, who received a three-place penalty for Sochi, which he later exacerbated by switching to his fourth engine of the season – triggering a deliberate further penalty.
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