REAL RACING
F
ormula 1 fans have waited a
long time for Lewis Hamilton and
Sebastian Vettel to slug it out toe-to-
toe in a race, at the 2017 Spanish Grand
Prix the much anticipated duel finally
happened and it was riveting stuff.
On lap 38 of the race in Barcelona,
with the race delicately poised after
Mercedes pitted Hamilton during the Virtual
Safety Car period, Hamilton was hurtling
down the straight into Turn 1 as Vettel’s
Ferrari was emerging from his own pit stop
and hugging the inside line into the ssame
turn.
As they hit the apex they were side by
side, blue rubber smoke wafted into the
air as they rubbed wheels and Vettel force
Hamilton wide.
Hamilton on yellow band soft tyres
stalked Vettel on the white band mediums.
The Mercedes clearly quicker than the
Ferrari thanks to the softer rubber.
It was a crucial point, ultimately it
would decide the race. Hamilton needed
to clear Vettel so as to maximise the softs.
But Vettel was having none of it.
For six laps Hamilton was all over th
back of the Ferrari, feinting here and there
until on lap 44 Vettel went defensive to the
inside of Turn 1. Hamilton powered past on
the outside, got his car in front before the
turn-it and it was game over.
It was ‘first round’ to Hamilton, albeit on
the quicker soft tyres. And although Vettel
chased gamely, upping the ante in the
final laps in the hope that Hamilton’s tyres
would expire in the remaining laps.