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Even though Lewis Hamilton's long reign in Formula 1 came to a close after 2021, the Briton still showed some moments of brilliance on the track. In the FIA's prize-giving ceremony, he won the 'FIA Action of the Year' award for one of the best and most clever overtakes during the 2022 F1 season.
At the 2022 F1 British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton cleverly overtook both Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in one go. This was mainly because the latter were racing with each other and were pushing each other off the track. The seven-time world champion took advantage of their fight and swooped past them when they made a mistake and went off track.
The move gave Lewis Hamilton a podium finish as he went directly from being P4 to P2, even though he ultimately finished the race in P3. This kind of close racing was made possible with the new regulations that were implemented in 2022. Although Hamilton was not at the FIA prize-giving ceremony, he received the award nonetheless.
Despite brilliant moves and other good moments throughout the season, Lewis Hamilton was unable to win a single race this year. This broke his streak of winning at least one race in every single season since he has been in the sport. Mercedes' 2022 car 'W13' also played a huge part in his performance being poor as the car struggled with porpoising and other issues.
Fans react to Lewis Hamilton's award-winning move on Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez
After the FIA's official Twitter handle posted the nominees for the 'Action of the Year' award and crowned Hamilton's move as the winner, many fans reacted and commented on it. While some praised the move and the overall action element of the moment, others were criticizing how it wasn't a proper overtake.
Here are some of the fan reactions:
There were a few who claimed that this wasn't the best overtake of the year, but it was surely the most exhilarating moment in motorsport. Though most people in the comment section were F1 fans, some were rallying fans who supported and wanted Sebastian Ogier to win the award as well.
Fans also pointed out other overtakes that felt more breath-taking than Lewis Hamilton's, like Charles Leclerc's move on Hamilton in the corpse turn during the 2022 F1 season. Overall, many people mistook 'action' for 'overtake' and criticized the winner selection.
Some people might've felt underwhelmed by the move as well. This could be partially because Hamilton didn't necessarily overtake either of the drivers with his raw pace. Rather, he saw the opportunity and made a clever move up the grid. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that the move and the overall spectacle was thrilling to watch at that very moment.
