Having become one of the most polarising drivers in modern history, Lewis Hamilton has created a dynasty within British driving. Comfortably the most successful British driver of all time, Hamilton has become one of the leading names in the world of sport for his quality, his personality, and his unique nature. Hamilton has enjoyed a wonderful decade, but this season might come down as one of the most memorable in a storied career.
Having regularly got the best of Valeri Bottas, Hamilton was able to land pole position for the Portuguese GP. The event seen teammate Bottas annoyed at an incorrect call that left him in second as opposed to pole, but this is business as usual between the pair. Having long put the feelings of his teammate to the background, Hamilton has always focused on one thing: delivering wins and trophies for his team. And few have done it better.
Indeed, as he heads to Portugal to take the Autodromo do Algarve for its first-ever F1 race, Hamilton is in a unique position. This could become one of the most important wins of his career. For Hamilton, his pole position in Portugal should provide his fans with all the knowledge they need to know that he’s still at his best and still capable of producing world-class racing. This year has been a truly mesmerising one for the Englishman, giving him pole position for his ninth race out of twelve.
Did Hamilton set for history?
The historical aspect of this race, though, could see him have the opportunity to really lay down his legacy as arguably the best driver of all-time. This will see him have the chance to also utilise his knowledge of a new track, something that many of the drivers have shown some excitement about in the last few weeks.
Hamilton has made a huge impact this year, using his platform as a driver to also push for more discourse on the racing circuit regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. In the cockpit, though, he has been as dominant as ever – perhaps even more so than ever. The constant changing from tyres during the qualifying for the Portuguese event has seen a lot of back and forth between teammates and team technicians. It has cost a few drivers a chance at finishing higher – not least Bottas – but the windy nature of the track has also created one of the most dynamic, interesting races of the year for most of the drivers.
Medium tyres were proving to be better than soft for some of the teams, leading to a lot of back-and-forth about what tyres teams should be using when they are out on the road. This is why there is so much discussion regarding Hamilton and his ability to make history with this particular race; win here, and he cements himself as the all-time race winner, ahead of the legendary racing champion Michael Schumacher. Don’t put it against Hamilton – he has made a career of winning when the odds were against him.