Formula 1 at Silverstone - Tears and pride: Hamilton's triumphant return at his home race
Lewis Hamilton kept the voice, tears flowed under the helmet, while British fans among the 164,000 spectators paid tribute to the seven-time World Champion after his impressive Formula-1 milestone at the British Grand Prix. The 39-year-old superstar celebrated his triumphant return to first place at Silverstone and lapped the honorary lap with the Union Jack.
"This means so much to me," Hamilton muttered in the car. "We will win, we never give up," team boss Toto Wolff radioed to the emotional Briton, who had waited 945 days for this moment.
7.7 a special date for the seven-time World Champion
His last win had come on December 5, 2021, in Saudi Arabia. In total, it was his 104th career success. At Silverstone alone, it was his ninth - no other driver had won that many races on a single track in the motor racing royal class.
What weighed off the future Ferrari driver was clear with every second after the victory on 7.7 for the seven-time World Champion. "Since 2021, I have tried every day to catch up. This was the last British Grand Prix with this team, I wanted this win," Hamilton said. Long he embraced his also emotional father Anthony, with the British flag he let himself be celebrated by the fans and his family. In 2008, he had won for the first time at home.
Second place for Max Verstappen at the fireworks show in Silverstone
The 26-year-old, who had finished fifth a week earlier in Spielberg due to an incident with Norris, also profited from a defect in George Russell's Mercedes, which ended prematurely due to an action-packed race from the pole position. A strong sixth place was driven by Nico Hülkenberg in Haas and confirmed once again his strong form.
The synchronization with the first trailer for the upcoming Hollywood film with Brad Pitt would have been unnecessary. After the incident between Verstappen and Norris at Spielberg, they were surprisingly lined up next to each other in the starting grid.
How tenable is the friendship, how reliable would Norris' suddenly insightful words be, who had been furious a week earlier when a collision with Verstappen forced him to retire?
Anxiously waiting for the rain
Verstappen made a quick move at the start and managed to overtake Norris quite easily and without much resistance, who went too wide in turn three. The first British driver from the home trio was already behind him again. Verstappen couldn't get past Hamilton and Russell right away. He tried it first and foremost not at all.
Everyone was anxiously waiting for the rain to come. At the start, the sun seemed to shine through, but the dark clouds were not far off. Verstappen had gone off the track at Silverstone on a partly still wet track on Saturday and had driven through the gravel bed. In the process, he had damaged the underside of his car and had to be content with fourth place on the grid.
The big question: When would the rain start and who has the best timing for tire change. First, Norris overtook Verstappen. And this time, the Champion didn't resist at all, as British fans cheered and clapped on the pit lane, before they needed to use their umbrellas and raincoats.
Risky driving on wet track
At the front, Hamilton applied pressure and overtook Russell after 18 laps. It was getting louder on the grids. It was slippery and critical. Norris took advantage of the situation and passed Russell and even Hamilton, with Piastri snatching the position from Russell from behind. A Vanquish game on the wet asphalt. With both McLarens in the lead. Better the intermediate tires, asked the command center from Hamilton. "No, there are enough dry spots," he replied.
More rain was supposed to come. Verstappen was one of the first to react and got the intermediate tires - that was quite smart. "We're back in the race," the box signaled to Verstappen. McLaren called Norris in, let Piastri continue in the rain, Mercedes worked on both cars one after the other - at least that cost Russell a position. Piastri then fell back to sixth place after his pit stop.
Russell got the worst of it. A week after his win in Austria and the Pole Position on Saturday, he had to retire his Mercedes after 34 laps in the garage - a cooling problem was suspected. Meanwhile, Hamilton took the lead again after another tire change and didn't let go.
- The International Record book will undoubtedly note Lewis Hamilton's triumphant return to first place at his home race, the British Grand Prix, adding another impressive milestone to his seven-time World Championship status.
- The GP Great Britain saw Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Group Limited's drivers dominating the race, with Toto Wolff leading his team and Max Verstappen pushing hard in his Red Bull Racing Car.
- The Formula 1 race at Silverstone was marked by unpredictable weather, with rain showers causing a challenge for drivers like Verstappen and Hamilton, who had to navigate the wet track skillfully.
- Despite the risky driving conditions, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, both from McLaren Group Limited, managed to maintain strong positions, making it a great home race for the team.
- Later, the official Formula 1 Records book would recognize Hamilton's remarkable achievement of winning the most number of races on a single track, surpassing his nine wins at Silverstone – a great accomplishment for both the driver and his loyal home race fans.
- The Record book might also highlight the spectacular moment when both Verstappen and Norris lined up on the starting grid at Silverstone, following their incident in Austria, showcasing a surprising ending to the intense rivalry between the two young drivers.
- The Rain-affected race brought a surprise twist to the story as the Austrian Grand Prix Pole Position winner, George Russell, had to retire his Mercedes early due to a cooling problem, leaving Lewis Hamilton to regain the lead in the race.
- With Max Verstappen changing his tires to intermediates during the rain, he managed to quickly recover lost positions, attempting to close the gap between him and Lewis Hamilton, who continued to demonstrate his mastery of driving on wet tracks.
- The Formula 1 season continues with several high-stakes races ahead, and the attention of both team bosses Toto Wolff and Zak Brown, as well as their gifted drivers, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris, remain focused on achieving and recording more winning moments in the upcoming races.
