F1: Lewis Hamilton equals Michael Schumacher's record after winning Hungarian GP
Both Hamilton and Schumacher have won eight times on a single track.
Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton cruised from pole position all the way to the chequered flag on Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. The victory allowed him to equal Michael Schumacher's record of eight wins in a single race circuit.
The British ace also moved to the top of the world championship standings this season, after trailing behind his teammate Valtteri Bottas for the first two races.
Such was his lead in the closing stages of the race, that he was able to take an extra pit stop for fresh tyres. This allowed him to box and come back out while still maintaining the lead. Fresh tyres meant that he was able to secure the bonus point for fastest lap of the race. This bonus point might prove crucial later in the season in case his teammate of another driver manages to challenge his title defence.
Bottas relinquished the championship lead after failing to overtake Red Bull's Max Verstappen for second place. Mercedes was denied a 1-2 finish, and Bottas is now demoted to second place in the championship with 58 points, five points behind Hamilton.
Speaking of Verstappen, his second-place finish was nothing short of a miracle. He crashed into a wall on the way to his position on the grid before the race even started. His mechanics had to frantically fix the damage on his front wing and suspension. According to the BBC, they managed to replace the Red Bull's front left push rod right as it was sitting on the grid ahead of the start of the race.
Verstappen had a brilliant drive and shot to the front row from 7th on the grid. Bottas, who started in second beside Hamilton, had a slow start due to an error and was lucky not to be penalised after jumping the lights. He stopped again after the false start, which resulted in a delay when the lights finally went off. He ended up in sixth place and only managed to work his way up to third.
The eight win in Hungary allowed Hamilton to equal legendary driver Michael Schumacher's record of most wins in a single Grand Prix. The German holds the record of eight wins for the French Grand Prix. This year, if Hamilton comes away with the championship, he will also equal Schumacher's record of seven world championship titles.
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