LEWIS HAMILTON turned in this Senna-sational win in Sao Paulo to finally end the debate on the greatest F1 driver of all time.
It was fitting that in this Brazilian GP, set in the home of his boy-hood hero Ayrton Senna, that he would deliver such a performance to cement his place at the top.
And if anyone thought Hamilton would not fight tooth and nail to defend his title then think again.
This was brilliant back-to-the-wall stuff as the brilliant Brit defied penalties, sanctions, a rash move from rival Max Verstappen, even a post-race investigation into him removing his seatbelt on his slowdown lap.
Hamilton said: “I feel this has been one of the most, if not the most challenging with the things we have faced this weekend, but in terms of driving, this has maybe been my best.
“It is easy to get down when you are facing things that can get you down like engine penalties, but everyone just focused on their jobs and stayed positive.
“It was just down to me to let go of things as quickly as possible and move forward, but did I think we could come from last to first?
“I did not know what was possible and this is probably one of my best weekends of my career.
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“Coming into this weekend I never, ever thought that we would be able to close the gap like we have, and these things that just kept going against us, but I just think it really shows to everyone just never give up,
“Whatever you’re facing, you’ve just got to keep pushing, keep fighting and never, never stop fighting.
“Coming here 19 points behind and only one point ahead in the team’s championship, we really needed a solid result but then we had all these penalties, which just made it…
“Mentally you could have thought it was over, but nothing is over if you put your mind to it, and we went in fighting, guns blazing.”
Former F1 driver Mark Webber once said that Hamilton created some self-invented heat in order to get the best out of himself.
This time there was no need for any self invention stuff.
He had the pent up anger from seeing the previous day’s disqualification for having a rear wing that failed a gap-test by 0.2mm.
Then there was the incoming five-place grid drop for taking a new engine, a self-inflicted penalty but one Mercedes had to make meaning he started this race in 10th place.
Add into the mix the frustration within his own camp at having their rear wing assembly confiscated by the FIA.
Boss Toto Wolff was understandably furious before a wheel had even turned, telling the FIA – F1’s governing body “they can keep it and cut it into pieces if they want”.
Wolff’s anger was directed at the FIA, particularly as rivals Red Bull had been granted permission to change their rear wing set-up for the third time in as many races.
Wolff’s opposite number at Red Bull, Christian Horner replied his team were “perfectly permitted to change it from a reliability point of view”.
His comment afterwards would have stung Wolff as he quipped: “You have to apply for permission to change it. It is a very different thing to not passing a test.”
Needle aside, this had an explosive start as Valtteri Bottas delivered what is becoming an increasingly disappointing end to his Mercedes career by losing P1 by turn one.
Having taken pole, he was quickly leapfrogged by Verstappen and then Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
At that point, it looked comfortable for Red Bull as they ran in first and second but the question remained, could Hamilton catch them, even from 10th?
The answer became clear on the Red Bull pitwall very early. On the first lap, Hamilton was up to sixth and a handful of laps later, Merc were already sacrificing Bottas, as he was told to allow Hamilton to pass and into third.
A flurry of pitstops shuffled the order until the real drama unfolded on lap 48. Hamilton made his move on Verstappen, who ran the Mercedes wide, so wide they both ended up off track, somehow they avoided making contact.
Hamilton blasted the move as “crazy” yet a few laps later on being told Verstappen would not be penalised, cynically Hamilton replied “Of course man, of course.”
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle said he felt “Max was a lucky boy to not get a penalty for that”.
Wolff however, did not bite his tongue afterwards, questioning how the decisions had all gone against his team over the duration of the weekend.
He said: “We had a broken part on our rear wing which we couldn’t look at, couldn’t analyse, failed the test, and after disqualified, very harsh.
“And then you see on the Red Bull repairs, three times in a row on a rear wing whilst being in parc ferme with no consequence.
“That’s one thing, and obviously that really peaked with the decision in the race, which was, I mean, really wrong defence from Max, absolutely an inch over the limit, but he needed to do that to defend.
“Lewis just managed it even more brilliantly by avoiding contact and end the race that way.
“But that was just over the line, it should have been a five-second penalty at least.
“Probably Max knew that. Just brushing it under the carpet, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s just laughable.”
With the bite firmly between his teeth, Hamilton finally made his move stick, despite Verstappen’s erratic weaving.
On lap 59, Hamilton swooped into the lead, having sized-up the move through turns one, two and three before completing the pass on four.
He then set about keeping ahead of the Dutchman and coasting home for his sixth win of the season.
Hamilton said: “The team did an amazing job. I was pushing. I was pushing as hard as I could. But from last on the grid and then another five-place penalty was I think the hardest weekend I’ve had.
“But my dad reminded me of 2004, when I was in Formula 3 in Bahrain, and I started last and I finished 10th, and I finished first. So this one is for my dad.”
Verstappen was nonetheless gracious in defeat and had Perez thank for setting the fastest lap to take the bonus point from Hamilton.
He added: “In the end we just missed a little bit of pace but we gave it all and it was a lot of fun.
“We still have a good points lead you know, so today was a bit of damage limitation on a weekend where it was a bit difficult for us.
“But I’m confident that in the coming races we will bounce back.”
Hamilton celebrated, draped in a Brazilian flag he stopped to receive from a marshal, removing his seat belt, as the fans chanted Senna’s surname.
And perhaps it was also fitting that in true Senna style there would be yet even more controversy involving the stewards.
They summoned the race-winner for a hearing into why he removed his safety belt on the slow down lap so he could retrieve the flag.
Hamilton was slapped with a £4,266 fine for doing so. It seems that rather like Senna, Hamilton doesn’t have much time for the stewards or their decisions.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
