By all means, Lewis Hamilton chases an incredible milestone in his storied Formula 1 career. (Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team)
By and large, Lewis Hamilton continually adds to his superb Formula 1 World Championship career.
All things considered, the 36-year-old Stevenage, England native builds to his legacy as one of F1’s all-time greatest racers. Moreover, Hamilton’s contributions outside of the track prove as noteworthy with racial and social equality.
Presently, Lewis Hamilton finds himself in quite a cracking championship battle with Max Verstappen. Indeed, the seven-time F1 champion and his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team have a worthy adversary in Verstappen and Red Bull Racing Honda.
Particularly, Hamilton enters the Hungarian Grand Prix in the second position, just eight markers behind Verstappen. Likewise, Mercedes ranks four points behind Red Bull Racing Honda in the constructor standings.
In this case, Hamilton and his No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team respond by upping the ante. Surely, after a riveting British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone, Hamilton turns his sights on Sunday’s (August 1 at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN) Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.
Hamilton 101
Immediately, Lewis Hamilton made his presence known at the 4.381 km (2.722 mi), 14-turn road course. In fact, Hamilton scored his 101st career pole and eighth overall at the Hungaroring.
Following his latest pole position, Hamilton reacted to the mixed crowd reaction rather smoothly.
Truly, Lewis Hamilton adds to his tremendous track record at the Hungaroring with his eighth pole position. (Photo: Wolfgang Wilhelm | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team)
“I appreciate the great support I have here,” Hamilton said to Sky Sports F1’s Johnny Herbert. “Honestly, I’ve never actually felt so great with the booing; if anything it just fuels me. So I don’t really mind it. It’s alright.”
Above all else, Hamilton shared his thoughts on the negative fan reaction thus far during the race weekend.
“I don’t really have anything to say to it,” he said. “People have a right to… it’s a sport, right? And people act wild when it’s sport. It’s competition and take it to heart. I just… I must be doing something right to be up front. Yeah. It’s pretty good for me otherwise.”
Of course, Hamilton acknowledged his team and crew at the track as well as Brackley and Brixworth.
“It was an amazing qualifying, that last one,” Hamilton observed. “It’s been amazing teamwork from everyone this weekend, Valtteri (Bottas) included, just trying to push the car forwards, developing constantly. The guys at the factory have not left any stone unturned. It’s been amazing to see everyone come together and rallying up and pushing forward.”
Certainly, Hamilton’s latest pole position adds to the Brit’s stellar track record at the Hungaroring. Overall, Hamilton has eight wins and nine podiums in his previous 14 starts. Altogether, five of Hamilton’s eight victories at this venue came from a pole position effort.
Chasing 100
Notably, Hamilton finds himself in position to score his 100th career F1 win, an unprecedented feat. Naturally, Hamilton acknowledged the challenges that await him and his team.
For one thing, Lewis Hamilton seems optimistic about his chances on Sunday. (Photo: Steve Etherington | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team)
“I don’t know,” Hamilton offered. “And I don’t like really to think of it. There’s a lot of… this is not even half the job, or whatever. Tomorrow’s a long race, we don’t know what weather’s around us. It’s such a challenging circuit and these… the whole top four will not be easy to beat. And so we’ve got a long run down to Turn 1. So, it’s going to be challenging tomorrow, especially if the temperatures are like this, so it should be an exciting race.”
In either case, Hamilton’s next focus is on winning his ninth Hungarian Grand Prix. Given these points, Hamilton and his team anticipate quite the scramble heading into turn 1 following the race start.
In particular, Lewis Hamilton presses on for another duel with Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing Honda. (Photo: Wolfgang Wilhelm | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team)
“The soft tyre is worth something like five metres down into turn 1,” Hamilton said. “And it’s a long way down to the first corner so it’ll be exciting tomorrow. It’s surprising to see all the guys behind us on the soft tyre. It’s definitely great having a front row lockout for our team, it’s the first one in a long time. And I just feel so grateful to everyone back at the factory.”
Ultimately, Lewis Hamilton finds inspiration at any corner, even if it comes with a hit disco song.
“I had the song YMCA just on my mind the whole session,” Hamilton said. “I’m not really sure why, I haven’t really been listening to it but that was what was the motivator today so I guess it bodes well for the weekend.”
