Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON has made a bold claim about his infamous 2021 title loss and dismissed suggestions it was similar to his 2008 triumph. In the last race of last season’s F1 championship, Hamilton was overtaken on the final lap of the race by Max Verstappen, giving the Dutchman his first driver’s crown.
Verstappen and Hamilton’s rivalry returned to the forefront in Brazil after the two collided againCredit: Splash
But the race remains mired in controversy over the incorrect administering of the rules which affected the outcome.
The moment is only matched in drama by Hamilton’s initial F1 title in 2008.
On that occasion the Brit had to deal with a late downpour in Brazil and only won the title after a last lap overtake on Timo Glock, allowing him to scramble up into fifth and gain enough points for victory.
But the seven-times World Champion has denied any similarity between the two historic moments – as only one was “manipulated”.
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Speaking to Glock, now a pundit for Sky Sports Germany, ahead of this year’s race in Brazil, Hamilton said: “No, it was different, it was different because this one [2008] wasn’t manipulated by anybody.
“Someone made a decision for that result to be the way it was basically.
“There are similarities in kind of the pain of losing in 2007. For the last 17 seconds losing that championship or the last three laps, I’d lost it basically.  And then coming across the line for another 17 seconds or whatever it was beyond, still having lost the championship.
“Similar kind of horrible feeling in your heart and in your spirit. I’m so so grateful for it because it was a real proof that for anybody out there when you are facing adversity, just to never give up, keep pushing, keep chasing, keep going.
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“Miracles do happen. And that was really a miracle moment for me.”
Hamilton’s comments recalling last year’s title race was fitting given what followed at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The 37-year-old was once again locking horns with his old title rival Verstappen after a season of the two mostly avoiding each other on-track.
Shortly after a safety car period, the two came together and both sustained damage after a turn 2 crash.
Hamilton still managed to make it home second-place behind his victorious teammate George Russell.
While Verstappen sparked a big backlash when he refused to give up his position of sixth for his teammate Sergio Perez. More

LEWIS HAMILTON is confident his working relationship will thrive with George Russell in 2023. The Mercedes team-mates have endured a tough season after being dealt with an underperforming car in the first half of this season.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell celebrated Mercedes’ first race win of the season in BrazilCredit: EPA
However, a recent upturn in form led to Russell landing his team’s first race win of the year – and the first of his career – in Brazil on Sunday.
Hamilton, 37, has just one chance left to end his barren run – he has claimed at least one chequered flag in all of his seasons in F1.
But after seeing his fellow Brit claim victory at the weekend as he finished second, Hamilton believes the pair will cope with future problems.
The seven-time world champion said: “I’m a lot older and I’ve been with the team so long.
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“So managing whatever challenges we come up with moving forward, we’ve been through so much that I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
Hamilton added: “I’ve seen what he did at Williams.
“I think naturally you have to say it’s impressive what he’s done this year, the consistency he’s had, how he’s arrived and just hit the ground running.
“It’s not like he arrived in a completely brand new team.
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“The previous couple of years he was sitting right behind me watching the work that I was doing with the engineers, with Riki (Riccardo Musconi), who is now his number one.
“It’s been super easy to blend in.
“He uses my steering wheel, and he’s obviously got to do the test days prior to the year, so I think he’s just blended in perfectly and he’s been a positive force in the team.
“He’s helped keep the equilibrium in the team, in terms of the working relationship I think it’s strong.”
Russell, 24, enjoyed a perfect weekend as he claimed the victory in the sprint and also the fastest lap.
TEARS OF JOY
It was an emotional weekend for the King’s Lynn ace who was in tears within seconds of crossing the line in Sao Paulo.
Reflecting on his first year in the Mercedes car, Russell said: “In some ways I’ve felt like a bit of a rookie this year because the level at which this team operates on is a level that I’ve never experienced before, and I’m talking about things that I’d never even heard of in F1 before.
“That took me some time to learn and understand how to get the most out of the team, out of the car.
“The capability within this team is huge and the potential is huge, and learning to use all the resources at our disposal to bring more performance, is a lot more than I’ve ever been used to and it took me a little bit of a while to wrap my head around that.”
Russell and Hamilton go to Abu Dhabi for the final race of the 2022 season hopeful of overtaking Ferrari into second in the constructors’ championship.
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Russell is fourth in the driver standings, 25 points behind Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez who are tied on 290.
Another race win and fastest lap would see the Brit overtake the Ferrari and Red Bull men into second if they both fail to pick up any points. More

LEWIS HAMILTON has slammed Max Verstappen after the pair crashed again at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.The sight of the Mercedes and Red Bull coming together became a regular feature of last season’s fiercely-contested title fight.
An incident-filled race saw Verstappen and Hamilton go at it hammer and tongs in BrazilCredit: Splash
It had appeared like the rivalry between these two had cooled but once again they crashed yesterdayCredit: Rex
They’ve kept it fairly clean this year with Hamilton unable to keep up with Verstappen until recent weeks.
But old rivalries reared their ugly heads against yesterday as the pair had a dramatic coming together at the ‘Senna S’ turn in Brazil.
Both appeared to sustain damage and lost positions after the crash, with Verstappen forced to pit for a new front nose.
The Dutchman was given a five-second time penalty for the confrontation and Hamilton was again displeased with his rival’s driving.
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Discussing the incident after the race, he said simply: “What can I say? You know how it is with Max.”
Their collision came after a safety car restart as the field was bunched together following Friday’s qualification hero Kevin Magnussen being clattered twice by Daniel Ricciardo.
And further crash drama was to follow as Lando Norris punted Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari into the wall.
Tiptoeing through the carnage was George Russell with the emotional Brit securing his first ever race win.
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But Hamilton and Verstappen were left reflecting on what could have been after the early contact damaged both of their races.
The collision gave F1 fans flashbacks to last year when their championship fight was punctuated by high-speed crashes, dangerous close-range collisions and heart-stopping near misses.
Most notable was their terrifying smash at the British Grand Prix as Hamilton sent Verstappen flying into the barriers at frightening speed on the opening lap.
A few months later the Red Bull driver ended up on top of the Mercedes man’s car after Verstappen misjudged a move at Monza.
The seven-times World Champion would then go into the back of the 25-year-old’s motor later in the season as tensions overflowed during a frantic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
And at the Sao Paulo race last year, Hamilton was memorably forced wide by Verstappen or they would have made contact again. More