Mercedes driver locks out front row with Valtteri BottasHamilton in best possible place to record a record 92nd winLewis Hamilton’s touch behind the wheel has been amply demonstrated this season. Yet for his lap to take pole on the thrilling challenge of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, his judgment – the experience and intuitive feel garnered over 14 seasons in
Formula One – could not have been given greater rein. The drive was an object lesson in flawless execution but that he could pull it off depended on the crucial decisions the world champion made in the tense seconds before he pulled out of his garage on the final make-or-break runs.
Hamilton beat his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas into second place as Portimão hosted its first F1 meeting. As debuts go, the Algarve had a thriller, a sequence of blow and counter-blow until Hamilton, who had taken the vital decision to try to be the last man standing, was triumphant at the last.