NÜRBURG, Germany (AP) – Even Louis Hamilton once saw Michael Schumacher fail to record 91 hits. Now he fitted it.
After the 91st British driver’s record victory at the Eiffel Grand Prix, Schumacher’s son, Mick, presented Hamilton with his father’s old helmet.
“Looking at his dominance, I don’t think I’ll be anywhere near Michael in terms of records, so it’s an incredible honor and it takes a while to get used to,” Hamilton said, choosing Schumacher as his character while playing the video game.
Schumacher suffered a serious head injury in an accident while skiing in 2013 and needs constant attention.
Hamilton took a big step to record Schumacher’s seven titles, following the failure of his teammate Valteri Bodas to finish with a mechanical problem. Hamilton now leads the Formula One Championship by six points with 69 points.
Hamilton won from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in almost five seconds, finishing third to Daniel Ricciardo at the end of Renault’s first podium since 2011.
Hamilton started faster than Botas, and had a line within Harpin’s curve. He forced Botas to widen the run, but Finn took the lead from Hamilton on the inside of the second corner.
Hamilton took the lead at 13 on his lap when Bodas braked late and ran wide. Finn’s race ended soon after he complained of “no power” and was stopped in the pits by what the team said was a problem with his hybrid power unit.
Lando Norris was running in third, chasing a podium finish for McLaren. He eventually dragged the fire into the pod on the right side of the car and brought the security car out. Verstappen acted slowly on the resumption, and instead of threatening Hamilton, he lost almost second to Ricciardo.
Sergio Perez finished fourth for Racing Point, fifth ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sains and Pierre Casley for Albatross.
This is another long race for Ferrari in a difficult season for the Italian team. Charles Leklerk started the fourth inning, but finished seventh due to a lack of speed to grab the spot, while Sebastian Vettel finished 11th after a spin.
A day after receiving a call to drive to Racing Point as an alternative to the ill Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg finally finished eighth from the stage. Romain Grosjean finished ninth for Haas and Antonio Giovinci finished 10th for Alfa Romeo.
Another record fell when Kimi Raikkonen started her 323rd race, breaking the mark set by Rubens Barrichello from 1993 to 2011. R்கikkனnen finished 12th after colliding with George Russell and being sent off for a foul on Williams’ driver. Russell soon retired with a puncture.
Shortly after Raikonan’s car started, it threw gravel and sent flying stones behind Grosjean’s car. Crosgen said he was hit in the hand and wondered if the finger was broken.
It was the first Formula One race since 2013 in Nர்பrburgring, Germany, and was renamed the Eiffel Grand Prix after the nearby mountain range. The next bet is Oct. 25 in Portugal.
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