Hamilton wins in the rain chaos and breaks Schumacher's record
The English rain causes numerous pit stops, overtaking maneuvers, and leadership changes during the Formula 1 race at Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, takes advantage of this: For the first time in over two and a half years, the Mercedes star wins a Grand Prix.
Hamilton triumphs in the tire change game: Formula 1 record world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton ended his drought after 945 days and climbed the top step of the podium at his home race. Hamilton won the rain-affected British Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Netherlands) and his countryman Lando Norris in the McLaren.
While Hamilton triumphed for the 104th time in Formula 1 and provided some much-needed shine for Mercedes in his frustrating last season, Verstappen extended his lead in the championship over Norris to 83 points. Nico Hülkenberg finished a strong sixth place for Haas, repeating his result from the previous week in Austria.
"Max has a good chance, he's well prepared and in a strong position," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner just before the start on Sky. Verstappen had severely damaged his underbody during a practice run on Saturday, yet still managed to secure a starting position of fourth. After a few laps in the race, Verstappen was already third with his repaired car, thanks to a small error from Norris.
Wild duels between Mercedes and McLaren
The gaze of the racing strategists went almost as often towards the sky as the track in the early stages of the race. Everyone knew: If the rain comes, the race will be decided.
By the quarter mark of the Grand Prix, Verstappen experienced problems with his tires. Norris, with whom he had quickly made up after their collision in Spielberg a week earlier, was unable to keep up with him. Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was also unable to hold Verstappen back for long. At the front, Hamilton overtook his teammate George Russell with great fanfare in lap 18, while the first of the determined English fans threw on their raincoats.
Parts of the track were now wet, and McLaren and Mercedes engaged in wild battles. In the 20th round, Norris and Oscar Piastri were suddenly in front of Hamilton and Russell. Who had changed to Intermediates earlier, like Verstappen's unfortunate teammate Sergio Perez, had made a mistake, and the traditional circuit was once again dry.
Schumacher's record from Magny-Cours is history
Only towards the middle of the race did a slightly stronger rain set in, and Verstappen was the first of the top five to switch to Intermediates and was once again in the thick of the fight for the win. While Russell had to retire his Mercedes due to a problem with the cooling system in the 34th of 56 laps and withdrew from the fight for the win, Hamilton and Verstappen sought the decision: Both switched back to slicks earlier than the leading Norris when the track began to dry.
Hamilton returned to the track as the leader and defended the top spot. He won his home race for the ninth time. No other driver in Formula 1 history has won on a race track as often as Hamilton, who previously shared this record with Michael Schumacher, who won the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours eight times.
Michael Schumacher's record at Magny-Cours was broken by Lewis Hamilton during the British Grand Prix. Hamilton, in his Mercedes AMG, became the driver with the most wins at a single Formula 1 track, surpassing Schumacher's eight victories at Magny-Cours. This achievement came after a close battle between Hamilton and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who also switched to slicks earlier than the leading driver, Lando Norris of McLaren. Nico Hülkenberg, driving for the Haas F1 Team, managed to finish in sixth place, matching his previous week's result at the Austrian Grand Prix.
