LCH HAS 100 FORMULA 1 WINS

LCH pitted with four laps to go for intermediate tires and soon passed race leader Lando Norris while it was raining to win the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday. Norris was keeping Hamilton at bay over the final laps of the race but it started to rain and the track got slick. As the two drivers struggled to keep traction with their slick tires, Hamilton pitted for wet weather tires before the rain got worse and Norris didn’t.

That was the wrong call for Norris and McLaren. Hamilton made up the time he lost by pitting in less than two laps and passed Norris as Norris slid off the track. 

Hamilton’s win vaulted him over Max Verstappen in the points standings but Verstappen mitigated much of the advantage that Hamilton gained. Verstappen started the race last after his Red Bull Racing team changed engines and ended up finishing second because he was one of the first drivers who pitted for intermediate tires.

Had the rain held off, Verstappen was likely going to finish seventh and Hamilton would have either been able to get Norris for the win in the waning laps or finish second. Instead, Hamilton is now just two points ahead of Verstappen in the standings instead of five or more. Hamilton has 246.5 points while Verstappen has 244.5.

There are at least six races left in the Formula 1 season — a replacement for the canceled Japanese Grand Prix has not been announced yet. The next race is the Turkish Grand Prix on Oct. 10.