Lewis Hamilton threw away a golden opportunity in last weekend’s Formula 1 race at Baku City Circuit, but it wasn’t the first time.
Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is known for winning races he shouldn’t win. He is known for capitalizing on opportunities and the misfortune of other drivers.
He is known for being in the right place at the right time, swooping in to pick up wins when other drivers have issues that nobody could have imagined — and that never seem to happen to the sport’s all-time winningest driver (or when they do, it doesn’t ever matter — think Silverstone 2020).
Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit was poised to give us yet another episode of that. But it did not. One thing that has been Hamilton’s kryptonite has been late race restarts — specifically when he isn’t leading.
Following Sunday’s race, Hamilton has 16 wins in his last 26 starts. Three of those 10 losses came after such restarts.
Including Sunday’s bizarre finish, take a look at three late-race restarts in which Hamilton has cost himself podium finishes, possibly even wins, since November 2019.
Late restarts botched by Lewis Hamilton: No. 1 – Baku 2021
Since we already started talking about it, let’s continue with the most recent incident first. Points leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull was looking to extend his lead in the driver standings, leading the race comfortably with just over five laps remaining. Hamilton was running in third place, a position which would see him drop 11 points further behind Verstappen in the standings.
Then a shocking tire issue caused Verstappen to crash, resulting in a massive points swing in Hamilton’s direction — 29 points, to be exact.
But on the ensuing restart with two laps remaining, he threw it all away. He briefly took the lead from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, but he locked up his brakes going into turn one and sailed into the runoff area. He finished in 15th place and scored no points, though his net gain from the entire scenario was still 11 points over Verstappen.
Late restarts botched by Lewis Hamilton: No. 2 – Brazil 2019
Let’s go back to the first notable instance, chronologically speaking, included in this article. Late in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Red Bull were poised for a double podium finish, perhaps even a 1-2 result, with Max Verstappen leading ahead of rookie Alexander Albon in second place.
After an incident involving Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, the race was restarted with just two laps remaining. Lewis Hamilton was running in third place, and he attempted to pass Albon, who was seeking his first career podium finish, for second on the race’s penultimate lap.
Instead, he made contact with Albon and spun him out, allowing Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly to pass both drivers and move into second place. Verstappen went on to win the season’s penultimate race ahead of Gasly in a career-high second and Hamilton in third.
Hamilton got to stand on the podium after finishing in third place, but he was demoted down the order as a result of a five-second penalty which he admitted that he deserved for his contact with Albon, to whom he sincerely apologized.
With the race having only a two-lap green flag run to the finish, these five seconds proved huge and demoted Hamilton a total of four positions to seventh place. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. moved onto the podium, but Albon finished in 14th.
Late restarts botched by Lewis Hamilton: No. 3 – Austria 2020
Two times in three races, Lewis Hamilton proved to be the one thing separating Alexander Albon from his first podium finish — and in this case, possibly even a victory.
Following back-to-back safety car periods, the 2020 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring got back underway with 11 laps remaining, with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas leading ahead of Hamilton in second place and Albon in third.
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But Albon was on newer tires than both of the Silver Arrows, and he had the pace to get the job done. He attempted to make his way around Hamilton on the outside for second place, and he appeared to have the position. But Hamilton squeezed him, causing contact between the two cars and sending Albon spinning.
Albon was officially forced to retire with an electronics issue with four laps remaining, and he was classified in 13th place.
Hamilton remained in second place, but he was issued a five-second penalty for causing the collision. He appeared slated to drop to third behind Charles Leclerc, but a Herculean fastest lap of the race by McLaren’s Lando Norris on the race’s final lap brought him to within five seconds of Hamilton and promoted him to the podium for the first time in his career.
Hamilton was scored in fourth place.
So as good as Hamilton has been when it comes to securing results when other drivers can’t capitalize, he himself has struggled in scenarios when it comes to capitalizing on late-race restarts — when he isn’t the driver out in front already, that is.
He is slated to attempt to rebound in this Sunday’s French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard, which is set to be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. He is two for two at the track, having won in both 2018 and 2019.