Lewis Hamilton achieves a significant milestone in Formula One history at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“Records are meant to be broken” is something Lewis Hamilton is now used to doing as he has broken another record in Formula One history. He becomes the first driver to reach a 200th career podium finish in F1 history.
Driving for Mercedes, Hamilton trailed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris across the finish line to take third place at the Hungarian Grand Prix. This marks Hamilton’s second consecutive podium finish of the season, continuing his impressive form in recent races.
Lewis Hamilton’s P3 finish has made him the first driver in F1 history to reach 200 career podium finishes. This was also his 12th top-three finish in Hungary.
Legacy. 200 @F1 podiums for @LewisHamilton 🤯🏆💪 pic.twitter.com/7hkuK8xWa9
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 21, 2024
Not a smooth sailing race for Hamilton
Hamilton was being chased by Max Verstappen during the Hungarian Grand Prix for the final podium position. But he couldn’t quite catch up with Hamilton.
Towards the end of the race, Verstappen was trying to pass him at Turn 1 when he braked too deeply and his rear left tyre collided with Hamilton. The collision sent the Red Bull flying before making a harsh landing and losing a place to Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari before re-joining the race.
VERSTAPPEN 💥 HAMILTON
A big hit which sent the Red Bull flying and ultimately ended the fight for P3 🥉#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/I7K2Nu5sgG
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2024
“I mean, it was just unbelievable to watch from the outside. How nerve-wracking was it from inside the car? It’s not nerve-wracking. I think when you see the pace at which they close the gap in certain corners, you just laugh to yourself because it’s not something I can do.” – Lewis Hamilton during the post-race interview.
Verstappen managed to finish the race in fifth place but he still called to the Stewards room for the collision with the seven-time world champion. No action was taken for the collision between the drivers.
Lewis Hamilton grateful to his team for his 200th podium
Teamwork makes dreams work. That’s the mantra that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have seemed to follow over their long partnership. Hamilton has maintained a strong performance after his historic win at the British Grand Prix.
However, the Hungarian Grand Prix marked a significant milestone for the seven-time world champion as he claimed his 200th career podium finish. That is 49 with McLaren and 151 with Mercedes.
This achievement extends Hamilton’s record for the most career podium finishes. Following the race, the British driver expressed gratitude to his team for their role in achieving these impressive results.
“Thank you Bono! I couldn’t have done it without you guys. I’m so proud of all of you and grateful to all of you. Both here and back at the factory.” – Hamilton on the team radio after the chequered flag.
In what is Hamilton’s final year with Mercedes, he is determined to put his team on the top step of the ladder before he parts ways with the Brackley-based team and joins Scuderia Ferrari.
Where does this podium place Hamilton in the Championship?
In the last 4 races, no one has scored more Grand Prix points (67) than Lewis Hamilton. After his third-place podium in Hungary, he now occupies sixth place in the World Drivers’ Championship. Despite Russell’s strong start to the 2024 season, the 39-year-old has overtaken him in the standings.
Furthermore, Hamilton has moved ahead of Sergio Perez, who has had been having a very difficult time retaining his seat at Red Bull. Mercedes is currently in excellent form and they must maintain this momentum to stay competitive to challenge the front-runners. As they strive to upload their current level of performance, Mercedes aims to sustain their impressive form throughout the season.
