By Daily Sports on August 5, 2019

Lewis Hamilton staged a thrilling fightback to catch and pass Max Verstappen for victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton’s eighth win of the season puts a headlock on the championship after a tense race-long battle between the drivers and their strategists at the Mercedes and Red Bull teams.

Hamilton came very close to pulling off a brave move for the lead around the outside of the 150mph Turn Four.

But a gamble by Mercedes to make an extra pit stop gave Hamilton much faster tyres for the closing stages and he closed a 20-second deficit in less than 20 laps to pass Verstappen for the lead with three laps to go.

It puts Hamilton 62 points ahead in the championship with nine races to go – and a maximum of 234 points available. His sixth title is as good as won.

It was a mouth-watering fight between the greatest driver of his generation, Hamilton, and the man who is emerging as the leader of the next, and the first time they had disputed a grand prix victory in such a way.

The two were in a race of their own, with the Ferraris more than a minute behind at the flag and Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas taken out of contention by a touch with Hamilton and then Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the first lap, which broke the Finn’s front wing.

There was stalemate between Verstappen and Hamilton in the first stint, after the Dutchman converted pole position into a lead at the first corner, and Hamilton moved into second by passing Bottas, who had qualified ahead, into the second corner.

But as the time for pit stops approached, Hamilton closed right in on Verstappen, forcing Red Bull into an early stop on lap 25 to ensure Mercedes did not do the same and ‘under-cut’ them into the lead.

Mercedes left Hamilton out for another six laps, hoping to benefit from fresher tyres at the end of the race.

Hamilton rejoined six seconds behind, but was on Verstappen’s tail within four laps and attacking hard.

But the Hungaroring is a notoriously difficult track on which to overtake and Hamilton was forced to improvise.

On lap 38, he was closer than ever to Verstappen and after tracking him through Turns One, Two and Three, Hamilton tried a bold move around the outside of Turn Four.

It would have come off, but for a flick of oversteer in the middle of the corner and he ran into the run-off area, giving Verstappen some breathing space. (BBC)

•Photo shows Lewis Hamilton 

Source Daily Sports

Posted August 5, 2019

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