Lewis Hamilton has claimed an emphatic victory from pole at the inaugural Qatar Formula One Grand Prix. Max Verstappen recovered well from a grid penalty to finish second but saw his Formula One championship lead cut to eight points by Hamilton on Sunday.
Consecutive wins for the defending and seven-time champion Hamilton in Brazil and Qatar have moved him within eight points with two races left.
Hamilton claimed his seventh season win and 102nd overall ahead of Verstappen at the flood-lit Losail International Circuit where his Mercedes had already been superior over Verstappen’s Red Bull in qualifying.
“We needed those points today. I can’t wait to watch the race replay to find out what happened behind me,” he said.
“I’m really grateful for these points, it’s been a hell of a year. Back-to-back wins. I feel good, I feel fit, fitter than I’ve ever felt. Bring on the next two,” Hamilton added.
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British racing driver. He currently competes in Formula One for Mercedes, having previously driven for McLaren from 2007 to 2012.
In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers’ Championship titles (tied with Michael Schumacher), and holds the records for the most wins (102), pole positions (102), and podium finishes (180), among others.
Born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Hamilton joined the McLaren young driver programme in 1998. This led to a Formula One drive with McLaren in 2007, making Hamilton the first, and so far only, black driver to race in the series.
Hamilton has been credited with furthering Formula One’s global following by appealing to a broader audience outside the sport, in part due to his high-profile lifestyle, environmental and social activism, and exploits in music and fashion.
He has become a prominent advocate in support of activism to combat racism and push for increased diversity in motorsport as well. Hamilton was listed in the 2020 issue of Time as one of the 100 most influential people globally, and was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours.