Lewis Hamilton won the Grand Prix of Portugal on Sunday. This makes him the Formula 1 driver with the most victories ever. Max Verstappen managed to secure a podium place.
For the first time since 1996 there was another Portuguese Grand Prix and that immediately became one for the books. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the race, taking his 92nd victory in Formula 1. Now he is one victory ahead of the previous record holder, Michael Schumacher. Hamilton also seems almost certain of his seventh world title, which puts him on par with Schumacher in that area this year.
The race started spectacularly. On the slippery circuit of Portimao, McLaren driver Carlos Sainz initially managed to pass the Mercedes that left the first row. Ultimately, however, Hamilton managed to pass him and teammate Valtteri Bottas. In the second phase of the race it all stayed a bit more the familiar; Mercedes was unapproachable and Max Verstappen again achieved the maximum possible with a third place. In a positive sense, Kimi Räikkönen’s performance in the opening lap was also striking: he climbed beautifully from the back of the field to P6. Ultimately, Ferrari’s most recent world champion ended just outside the points.
Replacement Albon
In a negative sense, Verstappen’s teammate Alexander Albon stood out again. The British Thai drove a difficult and colorless race and scored no points. His replacement at Red Bull Racing seems inevitable, although team principal Christian Horner has indicated that he will at least finish this season with the team. If Albon is indeed replaced before 2021, according to the team a driver from outside its own group will be at the top of the list. Verstappen says he prefers to see Nico Hülkenberg become his new teammate and it therefore strongly seems that the German driver is the most promising candidate.