Hamilton’s second straight F1 win is big surprise

The U.S. Grand Prix win was his seventh top-three finish in as many races.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Lewis Hamilton is as surprised as anybody by his sensational start in Formula One.

The 22-year-old Englishman fought off a couple of challenges from Mercedes McLaren teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso Sunday to win the U.S. Grand Prix, the second straight victory for the first black driver in F1’s 61-year history.

“Coming into the season, being realistic, I never expected anything like this, but I hoped to do well,” Hamilton said. “I hoped maybe I’d get a podium at some point. This is just insane.”

This latest win, coming on the heels of his inaugural F1 victory a week earlier in the Canadian Grand Prix, gave Hamilton his seventh top-three finish in as many starts — one of his numerous unprecedented feats for a rookie.

Another is his lead in the points.

Increases point lead

After being tied for the top with his teammate, Hamilton took an eight-point lead in the standings with his win in Montreal and will now carry a 10-point margin over Alonso into the French Grand Prix in two weeks.

The two finished 1-2 for the third time this season, but this time the order was reversed from Malaysia in April and last month’s race at Monaco.

Hamilton started from the pole for the second straight race and Alonso tried hard to pass his less experienced teammate at the start. He darted to the outside and pulled nearly alongside Hamilton for a moment, then backed off and dived to the inside as the leaders squirted through the first two narrow turns, a sharp right-hander and then a left-hander.

“I think the start was the key point of the race because after that, whatever, you were second and we finish second in the race,” Alonso said.

Hamilton managed to stay in front and was able to continue to fend off pressure from the hard-charging Spaniard to the end of the 73-lap event on Indy’s 2.605-mile road circuit.

Challenges Hamilton

Alonso almost wrested the lead from Hamilton as they began lap 39. He had been dogging the back of his teammate’s silver and red McLaren for several laps and pulled alongside on the main straightaway but was unable to complete the pass as they drove into the first turn.

The outcome of the race remained in question until Alonso locked up his brakes on lap 47 and drove through the grass, allowing Hamilton to pull out to a 2.5-second lead. Hamilton drove on to the win without further challenge, finishing 1.5 seconds — nearly half the main straight — ahead of Alonso.