Lewis Hamilton wants to complete classic set of races
His driving in Australia resulted in a fine, but at Belgium it was certainly a fine drive.
In the week where he was fined £288 for “behaving like a hoon” after performing boy-racer stunts Down Under, Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, battling with the tricky conditions, knocking a Red Bull off the top, and trying to keep the car on the track.
Hamilton almost threw the race win away, as he decided to stay out on dry tyres when the rain began to fall. He went off the track and into the gravel, and came within inches of the barrier, but luckily, he managed to get back onto the track and take the win.
When Mark Webber lost pole position at the start of the grand prix, Hamilton led from the front and took a well-deserved win, which propelled him to the top of the drivers’ standings and a lead of three points over Webber. “In the race itself, I was able to settle into a steady rhythm at the front,” he said.
Hamilton made a dramatic impact in his debut season in Formula One in 2007, losing the world championship by a point to Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen, and encountering a fierce battle at McLaren with Fernando Alonso.
He is gunning for a second world title after being crowned champion in 2008 by a point, and as he couldn’t defend his title last season thanks to a lack of performance from his car, this year he is back in a championship-challenging car.
On the incident where he almost undid all of his hard work, Hamilton said: “My heart was absolutely pumping. In my mind, I was absolutely on the edge, just trying to nurse the car through the gravel and get it out and back onto the track.
“I braked at what I thought was a sensible distance, but the car just kept going forwards, which was pretty, er, exciting. I just made it. I think I kissed the barriers with the left-hand wheel rims, but it was close.”
Now as he heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, the 25-year old is looking to complete the set on winning Formula One’s “classic” venues- Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza.
“Yeah, I've always looked at those four circuits on the calendar as being a little more special than the others,” he said.
“It's because those venues are unique, they're very special. You can feel the history at those races more than anywhere else. That's why I was so pleased and proud to have finally won at Spa, because it's a giant of the sport, and it means something to every driver who's ever raced there.
“So I'm going to Monza looking to take another win and keep pushing forward in the championship,” he added.
Hamilton knows what it’s like to be on top of the drivers’ standings, and knows what it’s like to lose the world title when leading. “Our car should be strong there too [at Monza], but, as with every race in this championship, you can never take anything for granted,” said Hamilton.
Australia is now at the back of Hamilton’s mind as the emphasis switches to the world championship.
Who’s behaving like a hoon now then?
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