• Dutch driver finishes second but penalty moves him to fourth
• Sebastian Vettel jumps up to second with Valtteri Bottas third
Sporting a helmet styled in the same design as Niki Lauda’s final championship winning season for McLaren in 1984, Lewis Hamilton delivered the win in Monaco he so dearly wanted to honour his friend. A victory ground out though tense, nerve-racking effort, of sweat and seat-of-the-pants determination, it is surely one Lauda would have admired and acknowledged as thoroughly deserved.
Hamilton had been emotional after taking pole and was once more moved to dedicate his win to Lauda as he celebrated with relief as much as ecstasy, that included hurling himself into the swimming pool at the harbour’s edge. He described it as his hardest race and while it was certainly not the most thrilling he had to remain inch-perfect and fully focused from flag to finish. Grinding out a win on the wrong tyres, despite being harassed by Max Verstappen to the end, was exactly the sort of dogged indefatigability that Lauda displayed and had admired in Hamilton.
Written by Giles Richards at Monte Carlo
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/26/lewis-hamilton-monaco-grand-prix-mercedes-f1-formula-one under the title “Lewis Hamilton holds Max Verstappen at bay to win Monaco Grand Prix”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
