After a long and necessary pause to clear the debris, another exceptional event: Hamilton restarted on the grid alone, unlike the other drivers who had all returned to the pits to mount the dry tires, given the clear improvement in the weather. If he had been “out” and faster than the newly-wheeled riders, he would have been beautiful and virtuous. Instead, he was recalled soon, immediately, after just one lap: a big mistake in the assessment of the team that Hamilton paid for with a long comeback race. But anyway: his Mercedes was whole, free from impacts: a fact that allowed him to reach the third final position.
The first of Ocon
The no longer very young Esteban Ocon, born in 1996, tall, extremely thin and light, is a French Alpine driver, formerly of Renault, where he arrived by winning the GP3. He is in his fifth year in Formula 1, but has only achieved one podium in 2020 and an eighth place as best final result in the world championship. Yet today he did it, despite a Vettel always with his breath on his neck, from start to finish. A position given on the silver plate not only by the events in the front rows at the first corner, but above all by Hamilton. He brought joy to many French, recently disappointed by the poor performance in the European football, with the memorable victory of Switzerland, but also not too happy with a partial seventh place in the Olympics, with half the gold compared to Great Britain.
Ocon wins but does not completely convince: the public honors him but everyone knows that he was not the best on the track. It is Alonso who, in fact, has distinguished himself more. Without big “gifts”, he was able to manage the race well. But above all he showed his temper and his experience at the end, when it was necessary to defend the position from Hamilton. He had fun, he fought, he put on a show. What can I say, Thanks! Although he is really the “first guide” of the French team, today he gave a brilliant example of team play. Without his heavy but always regular slowdown on the British champion, the end result could be quite different.
Hamilton was objectively lapping much, too fast compared to the first four already over ten laps to go. The mathematical gap was so high that, in other sports, in other tracks, there would have been no doubt about the total recovery. And instead we have to thank that these two “roosters” have known each other and have always fought. We must not forget that Alonso saw Hamilton arrive in McLaren in 2007, at the most wrong moment: he had to be a dream team but he found himself defending the world title he had just won in Renault alongside a rookie who proved to be fast. So, fourteen years later, even if the Asturian is one of the greatest gentlemen ever seen in Formula 1, one of the most correct and sporty drivers, a few pebbles from his shoes can and still have to take them off. In addition to the French, he also thanks Vettel, the other multiple champion “devastated” by Hamilton’s climb in the era of hybrid engines.