Hamilton extended his lead to 19 points by winning Sunday’s German Grand Prix.
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Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo of Australia steers his vehicle during the German Formula One Grand Prix in Hockenheim, Germany, Sunday, July 31, 2016.
The 18-year-old Red Bull driver, who claimed his fourth podium finish in eight races since promotion from the Toro Rosso team, came home behind his team-mate Australian Daniel Ricciardo.
Lewis Hamilton has won the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim to move 19 points clear of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the drivers’ championship.
“I’m not down, firstly, I’ve got a race to win tomorrow”, said the Briton who won in Hungary from second on the grid after being beaten to pole by Rosberg in controversial circumstances.
The German finished behind both Red Bull drivers, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen completing the podium places.
Rosberg was then handed a five-second time penalty for his next pit stop by stewards. Just very disappointed that everything went wrong.
Spain’s Marca said the month of July was a “slap in the face” for Rosberg with no less than four defeats, while even Germany’s Bild wondered: “Tick-tack – title gone?”
“On the super-soft I was much more comfortable and we had good pace for the second half of the race”.
Rosberg, who started on pole after putting in a scorching lap under pressure in Saturday’s qualifying session, finished a disappointing fourth on Sunday.
The German team have started all but one race this year from the front.
Hamilton reckons the team will opt to take the hit at either Spa or Monza, with a double-penalty likely to give the three-time champion a pool or components to use throughout the season. All I can say is tomorrow I’m going to be on the beach, sipping on a pina colada and enjoying the sun! The second part of the season will surely be a head-to-head until the final race in Abu Dhabi.
“This is two weekends in a row now with a podium and one of the most refreshing things is seeing so many fans back in Germany”, Ricciardo said after the race.
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Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton is “unbeatable on a good day”, following his run of victories to take the Formula 1 world championship lead.
