Motorsport journalist and podcaster
I review the action from the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix with Chris Medland from Racer.
Felipe Massa remembers his days as Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Ferrari, compares Schumacher with Lewis Hamilton after Hamilton broke Schumacher’s F1® win record in Portugal, and recalls his title near-miss at home in the unforgettable 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton wins his 92nd grand prix, Alex Albon gets stuck in a chimney and Lance Stroll gets the sheds (sic).
This was Lewis Hamilton’s biggest victory margin of the season, but you wouldn’t have predicted it at the end of the first lap, when he’d dropped to third from pole and was struggling to get his tyres fired up in the blustery, drizzly conditions.
F1 first competitive visit to Portimão for the Portuguese Grand Prix provided yet another interesting challenge for drivers and teams. Not only was Algarve in full swing of an autumnal transition, but recent resurfacing work left the circuit extremely slippery.
Though that combination lost Hamilton places off the line, those tricky conditions also put an emphasis on the driver to carefully and precisely manage the race from the cockpit. The Briton rose spectacularly to that challenge to not simply resume the lead from teammate Valtteri Bottas but turn in his biggest win of the year.
Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver in Formula One history after claiming a record-breaking 92nd victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão.
Hamilton started from pole but in drizzly conditions slipped to third at the end of the first lap behind teammate Valtteri Bottas and the fast-starting McLaren of Carlos Sainz.
But the blip lasted only until Hamilton managed to get some heat into his tyres in the overcast and blustery weather. He and Bottas resumed their place at the front of the pack by lap seven, and by lap 20 the Briton had built enough momentum to pass the Finn to take back the lead.