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Lewis Hamilton's Last Lap in the 2020 F1 British GP Was a Thriller

Lewis Hamilton, the reigning Formula One champion and current chart leader, managed to win his home race once again, only this time in front of a completely deserted grandstand.
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Even so, the Briton still had a lot to celebrate. His third win of the season in just four races sees him a staggering 30 points clear from second place where teammate and main rival Valtteri Bottas sits. Whenever this pattern of wins occurred in the past, Hamilton always went on to win the championship, and looking at the way things are going, it's not hard to imagine him getting a record-equaling seventh title.

Speaking of records, there are several others he could equal or beat this season, not to mention the two he's already secured after winning the Silverstone race. Hamilton became the driver with the most wins in their home event, beating previous record owner Alain Prost's tally of six. His second high-profile victim was Ayrton Senna and the Argentinian's record of 19 races led from start to finish, with Lewis' 20 now becoming the score to beat.

Hamilton now boasts 87 career victories, meaning he's just four behind all-time great Michael Schumacher, and five from claiming the record for himself. Finally, the Briton is only one podium finish away from equaling Schumacher's 155, so if not both records, then at least the latter one is definitely going to fall by the end of the season, unless something truly dramatic happens.

And since we mentioned "drama," we have to talk about Hamilton's last two laps of the 2020 Formula One British Grand Prix. With Lewis sitting in first with a comfortable gap to the second position occupied by Max Verstappen, the leader enters the second to final lap. We can hear the voice of Hamilton's race engineer, Bono, telling him to "just bring it home."

That proved easier said than done. 30-odd seconds into the lap, Hamilton complains about problems with the front left tire. Bono acknowledges and tells him to carry on. He also informs Lewis on the gap between second placed Verstappen, which was 30 seconds.

The British driver enters the final lap, but there are two very serious causes for concern: one, the tire is starting to look worse with every turn of the wheel; two, Verstappen is closing in, and he's closing in fast. "Now 17 seconds, now 16 seconds," Bono can be heard.

The info on the Red Bull driver turns into some sort of implacable count down. Even now, when we know the result, it's still nerve-racking to watch. You can only imagine what Lewis must have felt like, having to manage that deflated tire and keep it from shredding completely before crossing the line, all with Verstappen breathing down his neck.

Then, after one tight corner, the finish line's in sight, though Lewis seems confused whether that was the last lap or not since there was no flag. Bono assures him it was done, congratulates him, and asks him to stop and wait for pick up. Just as well, the wheel locks and we get to see just how badly damaged that tire was. Formula One often gets criticized for lacking excitement. Well, that was more tense than a lot of thrillers I've seen lately. We've included two more videos after the on-board footage of Hamilton's race finish showing the sport's most dramatic final laps. Enjoy.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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