Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen

The 2022 Formula One season is about more than just the renewed battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Photo: Yuri Kochetkov – Pool/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton wins 100th Formula One Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix to taste his 100th Formula One Grand Prix race win on Sunday 26 September.

Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen

The 2022 Formula One season is about more than just the renewed battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Photo: Yuri Kochetkov – Pool/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix to taste his 100th Formula One Grand Prix race win on Sunday 26 September.

In treacherous wet conditions, the seven-time world champion reached the unprecedented century in his Mercedes after being stuck on 99 since the British Grand Prix in July.

Hamilton also snatched the 2021 championship lead by two points from Max Verstappen, who finished second.

After taking his 100th chequered flag 14 years after his first in Canada Hamilton told his team on the car radio: “Phew. That was hard work man!”

The 36-year-old looked set to come away for the fifth race stuck on the 99 mark with McLaren’s Lando Norris firmly in command up front.

But with five laps to go, the rain that had been threatening the 15th round of the championship for so long arrived, causing mayhem.

With cars fitted with slicks starting to lose grip and coming in for intermediates, Hamilton joined them, leaving Norris leading.

But with three laps left and Norris a sitting duck and sliding all over the circuit Hamilton eventually hit the front to finally nail the magic number of victories.

After jumping out of his car he said: “The rain came, it was very opportunistic, the team did a great job, I’m grateful for the points”.

Lewis Hamilton comes out on top

Lead pair Hamilton and Norris stayed out after others pitted for inters and it was the Mercedes man who made the decision to pit first, switching with three laps left – as Norris stayed out, a first ever F1 victory almost within touching distance. The McLaren driver did his best to keep the lead but, with the rain getting heavier by the second, he eventually slid off the track and Hamilton passed him for P1.

Norris eventually finished seventh having pitted at the very end, but will find himself at the mercy of the stewards after crossing the pit entry line twice on his way in.

Verstappen, from 20th on the grid, finished an incredible second after switching from hards to mediums midway through the race and cruising through the field. And it was Ferrari’s Sainz who took the final podium place – having briefly led over Norris – with an early switch to hards from mediums.

Valtteri Bottas started 16th but took fifth having pitted for mediums just after Verstappen, while Fernando Alonso started sixth and finished there with a long first stint on hard tyres. Kimi Raikkonen kept his cool to make up places in the late wet conditions and finished eighth – leaving Sergio Perez and George Russell to take the final points for Red Bull and Williams, respectively.

Norris came away with Driver of the Day honours, but the pain of having a maiden Grand Prix victory wrenched away from him in the final laps with the rain falling at Sochi, in what must go down as the most entertaining and dramatic Russian Grand Prix to date.

Additional reporting from AFP and F1.com