Sochi was all about Lando
I never thought I could go through so many emotions while watching anything other than tennis or football. The Russian GP was like reliving the 2019 Wimbledon final all over again - Lando Norris and Roger Federer coming nail-bitingly close to winning, only to be robbed of that win by arguably the greatest-of-all-time in their respective sports.
I'm going to draw comparisons between what could've been the last game of that Wimbledon final and the last few laps of the Russian GP.
W: Federer, 8-7 up in the fifth set; serving for the match
Mishits the ball long to go down 0-15.
R: Norris, Lap 47; 6 laps to go
Goes wide into Turn 5, and Hamilton closes the gap to less than three tenths.
W: Federer plays three excellent points to go 40-15 up; double championship point.
R: Norris defends extremely well to hold off Hamilton for the rest of Lap 47.
W: Djokovic enters God Mode and saves two championship points.
R: God enters Hamilton Mode as he goes into the pits on Lap 49 to change to Inters (which, surprise, ends up being the right decision).
W: Djokovic breaks, takes it to a tiebreak, and wins Wimbledon 2019.
R: Hamilton takes the lead on Lap 51 and takes the checkered flag to win his 100th GP.
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How ironic is it that Norris' decision to pit for slicks in Qualifying when he did is what got him pole, but his decision not to pit for Inters in the race is what ruined his chances of winning?
For those of you who think it was immature of him not to pit earlier, you're probably not wrong. But you're not right either. The man was chasing his first win. Of course, he had to risk it. He's not someone with 99 wins to his name, is he? He had to make a decision, so he did. He made a decision based on the data given to him. He made the decision he thought was right at the time. It didn't pay off. So be it. That level of maturity comes only with experience. But saying his ego got the better of him, now that isn't true one bit.
Sochi literally rained on Lando's parade, and it was heartbreaking to watch. But for a 21-year-old in only his third year in the sport, the composure, skill and maturity he showed throughout the weekend were nothing short of exceptional, and that was a pleasure to watch!
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