“Let’s race”– Lewis Hamilton foresaw his future with Lando Norris; called him for a challenge a day before their battle for P2.
Despite hitting his car off-road and being lapped by Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton managed to end at the podium, though, if there hadn’t been a red flag, it could have been different.
After the restart of the race, Hamilton climbed up from P8 until he met with Ferrari men who challenged him for a while, till he ended up facing Lando Norris.
Norris was exceptional in his defence and held onto his position even when his soft tyres were aged. In the end, with the help of the DRS, Hamilton surpassed Norris to reach P2.
Norris dragged his tyres for 29 laps, so the Briton shall be praised for keeping his calm, as these tyres don’t remain useable for so long.
Lewis Hamilton could have asked for a billion dollars
It felt like Hamilton had his fate in his own hands when he tried to cheer dejected Norris on social media; the seven-time world champion said let’s race on Sunday when his compatriot made a mistake in qualifying.
Accompanying an image of himself clearly devastated, Norris wrote: “How I feel right now. Inches away from P3. My mistake, I misjudged it, and the time was deleted. Sorry to everyone at McLaren, I effed up; you deserved better today.”
To which Hamilton replied: “Nobody can knock you for giving it your all. Amazing lap; it’s great to see you and the team shine. Move on, let’s race.”
Nevertheless, an amazing spectacle at Imola, and it was for the first time since 2012 when two Brits shared a podium.
