It was a victory nearly 1,000 days in the making.
On a tough Sunday at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and stood atop the F1 podium for the first time since that epic campaign.
And the fact that it happened at Silverstone, Hamilton’s final race for Mercedes, was not lost on team principal Toto Wolff.
“Today’s victory is something of a fairytale,” Wolff stressed in the team’s post-race report, “and what a great way to end my final British Grand Prix with Lewis. To win in front of a British crowd alongside Mercedes’ most iconic and successful British driver feels absolutely fantastic.”
Hamilton’s emotions were in tune with the moment. The legendary British driver was overcome with emotion when he took the chequered flag, and continued to be so when he was handed the British flag at Becketts Corner during the cool-down lap. When he finally brought the W15 to a halt, he shared a long, emotional embrace with his father, before paying tribute to the thousands of fans cheering on their hero.
Hamilton is I immediately told Jenson Button how I felt..
“Yes, the tears are rolling down my face,” the seven-time champion admitted.
“Since 2021, I’ve been waking up every day, fighting, training, focusing on work and working as hard as I can with this great team. This is my last race here, the British Grand Prix, so I wanted to win it for them because I love them and I’m so grateful for all the effort they’ve put in over the years,” Hamilton continued.
“A huge thank you to everyone in the team, everyone at Mercedes and all our partners, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who was here with us today. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. And thank you to all our amazing fans,” the Mercedes driver added. “I could see you all with every lap and there’s no better feeling than to finish here in first place.”
As racing continued at Silverstone, Hamilton paid tribute to the crowd. FIA press conference.
“The traffic was so loud it was hard to hear, but I saw it, I really felt it. [the crowd noise]”As you go through Turn 7, it’s a really long corner and you see the drivers on your left, then as you come through the last two or three corners you see this incredible crowd, and then as you go into Turn 15 it’s just an incredible feeling. Personally, it’s the best track. I think it’s the best track in the world, but so are the fans, so is the whole place, and the direction of the wind as you head into Stowe. That corner is incredible.”
Answering questions from the wonderful Luke Smith AthleticHamilton spoke of the emotions he felt, particularly during the long embrace he shared with his father after the race, and whether this win felt different to his previous 103 F1 victories.
“Yeah it definitely is because my parents came to all the races,” Hamilton began.
“My mom was there when I won the championship, my dad was there too. It was always something that happened at a different point in my life. The first World Championship was incredible but at my age it was really hard to absorb it all. I think this weekend at a point in my life, my parents are older and we do a lot of travelling.
“Spending time with your family is always a big deal. My nieces and nephews are getting older and cuter,” the driver continued, “but having them here this weekend and everybody… we all try to support each other, even if we’re apart. But having them there… I mean, I’ve always had their support, but having them there and being able to share this experience, because they wanted to come to my last race, my last British Grand Prix with a great team for us. I mean, Mercedes have obviously supported me since I was 13, so having them there today and being able to share this experience with them was definitely the most meaningful thing.”
The team had some disadvantages, such as pole-sitter George Russell’s early retirement on a day when he could have potentially finished on the podium, but Hamilton’s win was Mercedes’ second consecutive victory and continued their strong form.
Hamilton spoke about what this recent form means for the team going forward.
Yes, I’m really grateful to everyone on the team. Hats off to everyone. Niki [Lauda] “I’d definitely take my hat off to everyone who kept working hard, everyone in the garage who kept turning up every weekend and didn’t get down on the results,” Hamilton said. “I thought George’s win last week was great, but I think this weekend is the first time we’ve won on pure pace, not pure pace.” [With] We qualified on the front row, then in the first stint we both pulled away from the others and ultimately, in the conditions today, I think the drivers were able to make a bit of a difference.”
Hamilton also admitted that the time that had passed between wins made this one sweeter, and that it was the first time in his 104 victories that he had shed tears after a win.
“Exactly, it feels different than it has in previous races, especially race after race and a season with so many wins,” Hamilton said. “When I think about the adversity we’ve overcome as a team and the difficulties I’ve personally felt and experienced – the constant challenge of having to get out of bed every day and do my best – there are so many times when I feel like my best isn’t good enough.
“And the feeling of disappointment that you feel sometimes, you know, we live in a time where mental health is such a big issue. And I’m not going to lie, I’ve experienced it, and I’ve definitely had moments where I thought this is the end, this is never going to happen again,” Hamilton continued. “So just having that feeling coming across the finish line, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever cried over a victory. It just came from my heart. And it’s a really, really amazing feeling, and I’m so, so grateful for it.”
A fairytale Sunday in what is shaping up to be a fairytale season for the Silver Arrows.
