Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix for eighth time

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix for the eighth time to equal Michael Schumacher’s single-venue record and take the championship lead on Sunday.

Hamilton’s latest victory from pole position was as comfortable as the nearly nine-second margin over second-place Max Verstappen suggested. The British driver’s 86th GP win moved him just five behind the German great Schumacher’s F1 record of 91.

“It would have been so far-fetched to believe that could possibly come true. I remember watching Michael on TV win all his races,” Hamilton said. “Now I’m getting closer to the amount of wins he has, it just reminds me of the dominance and excellence he showed for so long. I can understand the position he was in, and I can understand the pressures he had. It’s pretty remarkable.”

Schumacher won the French GP eight times when it was held at Magny-Cours. Hamilton first won here in 2007, and his first success with Mercedes also came at the Hungaroring track in 2013, the year after replacing Schumacher on the Silver Arrows team.

Verstappen drove superbly to hold off Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who finished less than one second behind him in third to relinquish the championship lead after three races.

Clippers

Clippers coach Doc Rivers recalls being on a campaign trip with Rep. John Lewis

Clippers coach Doc Rivers speaks of the recent passing of Rep. John Lewis and his effect on people of color.

July 18, 2020

Hamilton took a record-extending 90th career pole on Saturday to match Schumacher’s record for seven poles on the 2.7-mile track nestled among rolling hills outside of Budapest.

He made a clean start, but Bottas made a poor one from second and was overtaken by Lance Stroll starting third; the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc; and Verstappen from seventh.

Red Bull only just managed to get Verstappen’s car on the grid. About 20 minutes earlier, he damaged the front wing when going over a curb and sliding into the barriers on a warmup lap.

Team principal Christian Horner looked on anxiously as mechanics replaced it and repaired the suspension, working frantically to get his car ready with the clock ticking down.

In a demoralizing sign of the times for Ferrari, both cars were lapped by Hamilton.

Hamilton and most drivers again took a knee against racism before the start of the race. After the race, Hamilton demanded more support from Formula One’s governing body and urged other drivers to make more of an effort in the fight against racism.

“There definitely is not enough support for it. From a driver’s point of view, well, many people seem to be of the opinion they’ve done [taken a knee] once and [are] not going to do it again. I don’t know their reasons for that opinion,“ Hamilton said. “All I could say is we’re not doing nearly enough. I think ultimately it’s still individuals thinking it’s not important.”