Lewis Hamilton sets five F1 records in stunning British Grand Prix win
Lewis Hamilton cemented his reputation as one of F1's greatest-ever drivers as he broke a series of records to win the British Grand Prix on Sunday, his first victory in 945 days
Lewis Hamilton broke a total of five records as he won the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 39-year-old ended a 945-day wait for a race win by holding off Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at Silverstone. The last time Hamilton was standing on top of the podium was back at the 2021 Saudi Grand Prix.
It has been a tough three years since then for the British superstar, with Mercedes having struggled to keep pace with Red Bull. But a week after George Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton swept to a stunning victory of his own.
Having started second on the grid, Hamilton handled the rainy conditions the best out of those gunning for the win. And after switching to soft tyres with 13 laps to go, he successfully held off a late charge from Verstappen.
It was a remarkable win for Hamilton, in what is his final season with the Silver Arrows. And it meant he was able to add five more records to his already lengthy list, having already matched Michael Schumacher for world championships won.
Sunday's win was Hamilton's ninth at the Silverstone track, a new F1 record for races won at a single circuit. It was also his 15th podium at the home of British racing, which sees him extend his record for top three finishes at a single track.
Hamilton is also the first-ever driver to win a race beyond their 300th start. This was the 344th Grand Prix of Hamilton's career, with this win coming 56 races after his last victory back in 2021.
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At the age of 39 years and 182 days, the Mercedes star has now become the oldest F1 race winner of the 21st century. And to wrap up his record-breaking day, Hamilton's win came 17 years and one month after the first victory of his career, back in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, a a new all-time record interval between first and last race wins.
Hamilton was overcome with emotion after his win and was heard crying over team radio. He admitted afterwards that his long wait for a victory made Sunday's celebrations all the sweeter.
“I can’t stop crying! It’s been since 2021, every day getting up, trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team. This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team," he said.
"I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they’ve been putting in all over these years. I’m forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, all of our partners, and otherwise to all our incredible fans.
I could see you lap by lap as I was coming around, and there’s just no greater feeling [than] to finish at the front here. I think the important thing is just how you continue to get up, and you’ve got to continue to dig deep even when you feel like you’re at the bottom of the barrel.
“There’s definitely been days between 2021 and here where I didn’t feel like I was good enough, or whether I was going to get back to where I am today, but the important thing is I had great people around me, continuing to support me.”
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