Hamilton trails Vettel by 14 points in championship after giving up third in Budapest
Tuesday 1 August 2017 20:39, UK
Lewis Hamilton has put his fourth world championship on the line following his sportsmanlike gesture to let Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by at the final corner of Sunday's Hungarian GP.
Hamilton acknowledged an agreement made 25 laps earlier when Bottas let him by to hunt down the two Ferraris as he surrendered third in the closing metres.
As a result he gave up three, potentially crucial, championship points and it means race winner Sebastian Vettel holds a 14-point lead over the summer break rather than 11.
Monday's national newspapers believe Hamilton's act may prove to be a defining moment of the season, in more ways than one.
"Lewis Hamilton cast away three points that may conceivably cost him a fourth world title. He did so of his own volition, and hosannas to that," Jonathan McEvoy wrote in the Daily Mail.
"His self-denial in letting Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas through on the final bend, honouring a pledge he had made earlier in the Hungarian Grand Prix, was recognition that a sportsman is measured by more than the size of his trophy cabinet.
"Hamilton suddenly turned himself from the hare into the tortoise, letting a seven-second advantage over Bottas dissolve into nothing. Bottas's blue-gloved hand acknowledged the act of fraternity as he went by to take third place behind the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
"Ferrari, no doubt, loved the British sportsmanship for the good it did them. They traditionally have a clear No 1 driver, Vettel now, before whom all knees must bow. Indeed, some high up at Mercedes privately wondered whether their own sense of fair play served any useful purpose."
Writing in The Guardian, Giles Richards said that the championship contenders have now shown how the remainder of the title race will play out.
"Under the unyielding sun of a Budapest summer the two title protagonists, who have been equally unforgiving on track in a battle that has swayed gloriously between them, finally showed their hands as to how that fight would proceed in the second half of the season.
Hamilton and Mercedes defend position swap
"Sebastian Vettel won what was hardly a classic race but Lewis Hamilton, in standing by his team-mate, admitted he might have dropped points that could ultimately cost him the world championship.
"Vettel won at the Hungaroring with an impressive drive from pole position. That he did so while nursing a damaged steering wheel made it all the more of an achievement but also put the Scuderia on the spot.
"His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was quicker on track but they chose not to order Vettel to allow him to pass. That the German is their only title contender could not have been clearer.
"[Hamilton] now trails Vettel by 14 points in the world championship and ceding the place cost him three. With the title fight likely to go to the wire it might yet prove to have been the sportsmanlike gesture that could deny him a fourth drivers' title this year."
The Times' Rebecca Clancy opined that Hamilton could leave the Hungaroring with his head high following his gesture.
"This was a race dominated by team politics rather than actual racing - and one act of great sportsmanship," she wrote.
"Giving up the final step on the podium cost the Briton three points in the championship battle but he left Budapest with his head held high, albeit 14 points behind the title leader Sebastian Vettel.
"Hamilton was in danger of losing two places but timed it perfectly to swap places on the final corner, with [Max] Verstappen just 0.3 seconds behind him in fifth.
"He knew the risks and that it could make a difference later in the year. But he also knew it was the right thing for him and the team to let Bottas through because, if and when he wins, he wants to do it with a clear conscience."
Don't miss the F1 Report on Wednesday at 8.30pm on Sky F1 as Formula 2 driver Jordan King and Marc Priestley join Natalie Pinkham to review the Hungarian GP.
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