Hill Names the Biggest Virtue That Helped Lewis Hamilton Beat Max Verstappen in Sochi

The Russian Grand Prix had one of the most dramatic ends that we have seen to race so far this season. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took the lead in the closing stages of the race. He had to fight long and hard for that race win, which is why former world champion, Damon Hill, feels that the seven-time world champion has become more patient over the years.

The conditions around Sochi worsened as the race headed into its closing stages. Lando Norris was leading the pack but spun across the wet track gifting the lead to Hamilton. Hill observed Lewis became more patient against his battle with arch-rival, Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton appears to be calmer than before states Hill

Verstappen overcame several obstacles in Sochi to find himself in second place. Lewis was leading the pack of drivers as they zipped around the Russian track. Instead of pushing himself to the limit, Hamilton was calm and knew exactly when to “Hammer time.”

Speaking about this on the F1 Nation podcast as quoted by FormulaPassion, Hill said, “Max was only five seconds behind Lewis. and in that moment you start to to think that the latter is stuck, trapped, and unable to go anywhere. But he learned to be a patient pilot , knowing, in this case, that he would have to wait for the first stint and then activate the ‘Hammer Time’ mode.”

“There was a moment in which I thought that if he entered the pits immediately, Max would be back on track with a 5-second delay from Lewis. The latter, however, with the clean air in front of him, caused the gap to increase instead of 20 seconds,” Hill concluded. (Translated from Italian via Google)

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The top spot belongs to the Mercedes driver

As the Knight took the checkered flag in Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix, he found himself leading in the title race. The Brit is pleased with the fact that he leads the championship, but knows the season isn’t over.

As it stands, Hamilton has 246.5 points under his belt, whereas Verstappen has 244.5. The Mercedes driver is looking forward to the Turkish Grand Prix next weekend to further extend his lead in the championship battle.

Do you think Lewis will retain the top spot next weekend as well, or will Verstappen inch closer to his maiden world championship? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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