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WATCH: A Calm Peter Bonnington Guides Lewis Hamilton to Victory in a Nail Biting Last Lap Finish

Published 08/02/2020, 11:53 PM EDT

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During the last couple of laps of the 2020 British Grand Prix, the Mercedes team nearly chewed their fingernails to the bone. This was because both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas got caught in a slew of late tire failures.

First, it was Bottas, which ended up with him losing a podium to Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Then, on the last lap, it was Hamilton’s turn to press the panic button as his tire also gave up the ghost.

Fortunately, the calming voice of Pete Bonnington managed to help Hamilton keep his head screwed on tight. Truthfully, Lewis Hamilton had every reason to be nervous because Max Verstappen was gaining on him rapidly.

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WATCH: Lewis Hamilton Barely Wins the British Grand Prix Amidst Crazy Last Lap Drama

Mercedes made sure that Lewis Hamilton was calm on the final lap

Every F1 fan knows that when a driver picks up a puncture, he has to slow down to control the car. Although Hamilton had a healthy 30-second gap on the final lap, the puncture meant that Verstappen was closing in fast.

This was literally a case of the tortoise and the hare. Hamilton took on the role of the former, and Verstappen was the latter.

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The good news was that Bonnington was constantly giving Hamilton regular updates on Verstappen’s whereabouts. As Lewis Hamilton trundled his 3-wheeled W11 around the last few corners, the Red Bull loomed closer and more threatening.

Fortunately, he had enough juice to cross the finish line ahead of Max Verstappen and bag yet another victory.

Admittedly, Lewis Hamilton gave himself a minor heart attack when he thought that the chequered flag did not wave. Luckily, the team was a bit more alert. They told him that he crossed the line five seconds ahead of Verstappen.

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In all honesty, this has to be one of Hamilton’s hardest victories and the most well-deserved.

SOURCE- Alex Brunetti- Twitter

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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