Lewis Hamilton Opens Up on Battling “Painful” Cramps Before Clinching Portuguese GP Win

A day filled with racing action ultimately belonged to the defending champion Lewis Hamilton. He went past Michael Schumacher’s existing record and created his own.

The hallmark of a true champion is to keep fighting through obstacles and hurdles. And something similar happened with Hamilton during the race.

Post the conclusion of the race, the British driver revealed that he was suffering from a cramp in his calf. The cramp made the entire race too difficult for him, even more so as he approached the final few laps or so in Portimao.

Lewis Hamilton resolved the cramp a little down the straights

Although he had taken the pole position and made a good start, it was teammate Valtteri Bottas who stole the lead from him. But, midway into the race, Bottas’ pit stop and his own race pace allowed him to create a commanding time gap in front.

However, with just about the majority of the laps completed, Hamilton communicated over the team radio about suffering a cramp.

Hamilton was quoted as saying, “You know it’s an incredibly physical sport, but I had a cramp in my right calf. So I was lifting quite often down the straight because it was about to pull.

“[It was] pretty painful, but I had to somehow get through it because it is what it is. You can’t lift the whole lap.”

History rewritten by Hamilton as he secured his 92nd win

Most people in Formula 1 had always thought that Michael Schumacher’s record back in the day would stand for a long time. But that was before Lewis Hamilton came along.

After a last gap flying lap in qualifying which saw him take pole position, the onus was on him to see through the traffic. And with the added fact of strong winds and predicted rains, anything could have happened in the race.

But with ultimate focus and with his eyes on the goal, Hamilton drove with absolute determination lap after lap. And complemented with some support from his crew in the garage, it only made life easier for the Briton.