Five moments that have defined Hamilton’s record-breaking season

Lewis Hamilton could wrap up his record-equalling seventh world title this weekend to add to the victory and podium records he has set in this career-defining season.

But it’s not all about the numbers – it’s about the moments.

There are too many to mention for Hamilton this year, but here are the five that have made him stand out in 2020 and shown just what has made him the champion he has become.

Winning on a flat - British Grand Prix

Not many drivers have won a race on three wheels. But not many drivers are quite like Hamilton.

The British driver was without his home fans this season, with the Silverstone grandstands left empty by Covid-19 restrictions, but had they been full there might have been a small earthquake from the reaction to this last-lap drama.

Everything had fallen into place, with Hamilton taking pole by 0.3s and calmly leading throughout what was a frantic safety-car hit race, but with three laps to go second placed team-mate Valterri Bottas suffered a tyre failure.

At turn eight on the final lap, Hamilton suffered the same fate. Max Verstappen, now second and on fresh tyres after a stop hunted him down, but Hamilton had enough gap and kept it on track to record his third win in a row,

Performance perfection – Spanish Grand Prix

In a near-perfect race performance, this was a demonstration of control, with Hamilton managing the race perfectly from pole to flag.

He led every lap, taking it easy early on then punching out the laps when it mattered to execute a perfect strategy and record his fourth win from the season’s first six races.

He admitted after the race he was “just in a daze out there” – and as the icing on the cake, he broke the record for the highest number of podiums in style. There was no better way to do it.

Battle with Bottas – Eifel Grand Prix

After winning impressively in Russia, Bottas had a glimmer [albeit feint] of hope of making a championship charge. But Hamilton quickly put a stop to that.

Bottas took pole by almost three tenths and firmly held position at the start. He absorbed pressure from Hamilton for 13 laps but was then forced into a mistake, locking up and running wide at turn one. That was game over.

Hamilton passed him at turn two, Bottas pitted at the end of the lap and when the virtual safety car came out, Hamilton got a ‘free stop’ and went on to win, equalling Michael Schumacher’s race win record in the process.

Hamilton took to the top step of the podium for the seventh time in the season and was presented with one of Schumacher’s race helmets. Bottas was nowhere to be seen, his retirement giving Hamilton a seemingly insurmountable lead.

The gamble – Portuguese Grand Prix

You could have cut the tension with a knife after qualifying in Portugal. Hamilton had out-smarted his team-mate Bottas, and his crucial strategic 'gamble' set up a sensational, memorable and record-breaking weekend.

Bottas had topped every practice session around the Portimao circuit on F1’s first visit. But with temperatures rising towards qualifying, the track surface was slippery and grip was low.

As the pair sat in the garage for their final run in Q3, Hamilton went first. Early. But it was the right roll of the dice. With two laps to warm up his tyres, his car had the performance to better Bottas and he snatched pole by 0.102s.

A day later, he secured his third hat-trick of pole, win and fastest lap and stood on the top step of the podium to celebrate his record-breaking 92nd win.

The salute – Styrian Grand Prix

Some images are defining. For Formula One, this was one of them: Hamilton, victorious on the podium, his arm raised aloft in the black power salute.

This has not just been a year of dominance for Hamilton on the track; he has dominated off it too, coming to the fore with his positioning and passionate support of the Black Lives Matter [BLM] movement.

After finishing a disappointing fourth in the first race of the season, he made amends by winning from pole position a week later to start a run of five victories in six races. But that felt far less important than this iconic moment.

Having already led the organisation of F1’s response to the BLM movement, Hamilton said he “will never forget that moment” of salute, inspired by the actions of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics.

It’s been quite a year for the boy from Stevenage.

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