British Grand Prix : Hamilton ending 945-day drought makes for ‘most special’ win

Lewis Hamilton shed pent-up tears of joy after ending a 945-day wait for a win with a record ninth British Grand Prix victory in front of his home fans on a fairytale Sunday at Silverstone.

There were sensational scenes at Mercedes, as Lewis Hamilton followed up George Russell’s Austria win with his first victory since Saudi Arabia 2021, ending a 56-race streak. That was done through some clever strategy calls by the Mercedes pit wall and Hamilton’s typical brilliance at his home track – where he recorded a record ninth victory in the British Grand Prix.

While pole-sitter George Russell had led away from Hamilton as the event got underway, an exciting battle soon unfolded between the Mercedes cars and the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri amid changing weather conditions.

Hamilton pounced on Mercedes’ initiative to switch to slicks after a period of rain across the middle phase of the race, which carted him above long-time leader Lando Norris as McLaren was slower to respond to the conditions.

Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen finished 1.465 seconds behind, extending his overall lead to 84 points, and McLaren’s Lando Norris was third after being passed four laps from the end.

Hamilton’s win marked his first since Saudi Arabia two-and-a-half seasons ago and a record ninth victory at a single British Grand Prix venue.

Asked about his emotions post-race, Hamilton said: “I can’t stop crying. Since 2021 I have been trying. It’s my last British win for this team. I wanted to win it for this team. I love them. The important thing is to dig deep. There have been days since 2021 that I didn’t think I was good enough. I love you guys, God bless you.”

Verstappen, who had struggled for pace through much of a race that was hit by two separate periods of rain, came alive in the closing laps to take second place from Norris, who grabbed the final position on the podium.

Hamilton hasn’t had an easy time at Mercedes over the last few seasons, but it was entirely fitting that a drive of this quality brought his drought to an end.

Hamilton and Schumacher are the two most successful drivers in F1 history with seven World Championship titles to their name.

Hamilton also became the first driver to win a race with an experience of 300+ races while also becoming the oldest race winner in the 21st century.

This is the British great’s last season in Mercedes as he will move to Ferrari next year. Before today’s win, Hamilton’s last race win came back in the 2021 Saudi Arabia GP.