The pre-race call that gave Hamilton the edge at Portimao

Lewis Hamilton seized Formula 1's all-time win record with victory in a tricky Portuguese Grand Prix for Mercedes. He went wheel-to-wheel with Valtteri Bottas and won out, but a pre-qualifying decision was key to gaining a decisive advantage

Alex Kalinauckas Oct 26, 2020, 12:12 PM

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He didn't think twice when the time came. He'd homed in on his rival, ratcheted up the pressure, got into the perfect position.

As a result, Valtteri Bottas was powerless to resist Lewis Hamilton's attack, armed with DRS, down the Algarve International Circuit's main straight at the start of lap 20 of 66 in last weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix. Bottas refused to cede the inside line, stealing onto the dusty asphalt very close to the pitwall, but it was never going to be enough. Hamilton was through, his record-clinching 92nd Formula 1 victory in sight.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.