Hamilton takes advantage of Bottas' bad fario to add victory in Imola

There is no way that the stars are favorable for

, a gregarious so many times overshadowed by

, the best driver of the moment, also blessed by good fortune.

The Briton led Mercedes 'one-two at Imola, where the German team clinched their constructors' title for the seventh year in a row.

Bottas' frustration, after stepping over a Ferrari piece and being penalized by his own team's strategy, was the highlight of a Sunday where

took advantage of a

puncture

to get back on the podium with Renault .

Carlos Sainz

saved his seventh place, just ahead of

, thanks to a very rushed maneuver on lap 57 against

.

The spin exhausts patience with the Thai driver and can open the door of Red Bull to

, another of the great protagonists of Sunday.

Two weeks from now, a win in Istanbul will be enough for Hamilton's seventh crown, the same as

.

All the omens indicate that nothing will go off the script.

Bottas, with 85 points less in the table, will again have to resign himself to the second plane.

The lights are still pointing towards Hamilton, surpassed by Verstappen at the start and condemned to start a race of whose dangers he himself had warned in the previous one "It is very difficult to continue in this position," he explained to the Mercedes mechanics.

Stretch the baton

On such a narrow path, conducive to a single file parade, strategy would play a crucial role.

The degradation of the tires was evident from the earliest stages, so the two stops began to be seen as the most suitable.

On lap 18, just one after Red Bull's move, Mercedes prematurely stopped Bottas for cover against Verstappen.

In principle, the idea was to repeat it with Hamilton, who had warned of the suffering of his right front rubber.

However, the Briton decided to stretch his relief.

Or at least that is what was understood through his radio messages.

Whether or not the idea to continue was Hamilton's or whether Bottas had plenty of reasons to complain, the only certainty is that the World Championship leader began to link fast laps with terrifying punctuality.

As if this

wasn't enough

, on lap 31, a chance hit ended up deciding his victory.

Verstappen's prick

The faulty transmission of

Renault

and the subsequent 'virtual safety car' allowed Hamilton an almost free stop to return to the tarmac four seconds ahead of Bottas.

The unfortunate Finn claimed to have problems with the flat bottom of his vehicle.

Actually, with Verstappen on the prowl, he was consumed with nerves.

Twice Bottas tested the gravel in the Rivazza area, the second time so rudely that Verstappen only had to take advantage of the facilities in the next DRS area.

The situation in the midfield had opened up a bit more due to the early abandonment of

, a victim of an engine breakdown, and the spin of

, who lost the front wing of his Force India.

In pursuit of the points, McLaren divided its plan.

Sainz, who had passed Norris around the outside of Turn 2, waited three laps longer than his partner.

However, the Woking cars never came close to the pace of Renault or Ferrari.

Hamilton and Ricciardo, on the podium at Imola.

Sebastian Vettel

, in his best performance of the year, was fourth on lap 39, when a 13-second stop, the result of a glaring tire error, ruined his options.

rubbed shoulders with Ricciardo, driven by the power of Renault.

However, the protagonist in Imola was Pérez.

The Mexican climbed from eleventh place on the grid to fourth, when

, after exhausting the useful life of his tires, cleared the way for him on lap 43. It was the beginning of a final stage typical of the Imola legend.

Verstappen's puncture in the Villeneuve variant left a vacant place on the podium.

With the safety car still in action,

made a rookie mistake and slammed his scoring options against the wall.

The podium escaped for Pérez after being called urgently to place the soft wheels.

Daniil Kvyat pushed

to the extreme

, although nothing would change until the finish line.

The podium of

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Sebastian Vettel

• Sergio perez

• Valtteri Bottas

• michael schumacher

• Daniel Ricciardo

• Kimi raikkonen

• Lewis hamilton

• Max verstappen

• Formula 1

• sports

• Mercedes gp

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