The number of days Lewis Hamilton had been counting since his last Formula 1 victory was approaching 1000.
Hamilton is delighted that he can now stop counting after winning the British Grand Prix on Monday morning in front of his home crowd. It was his 104th F1 victory.
945 days is the longest period without a victory. For me, this might be among the most memorable, if not the most memorable,” Hamilton remarked. “There have undoubtedly been times when I believed it would never occur again.”
From his first victory in Canada in 2007 to this one in Saudi Arabia during the last race of the 2021 season, there have been a ton of victories to be happy about. That was over fifty races ago.
Max Verstappen, who will be difficult to stop from winning a fourth consecutive F1 title, defeated him for the championship that year.
However, the 39-year-old Hamilton won this one in his final British Grand Prix with Mercedes before switching to Ferrari the following year.
Hamilton remarked, “I’m leaving on a high.” “Since this is my final race with this team, I really wanted to win for them because I adore and value them so much.”
As much as his supporters value him.
Hamilton remarked, “My fans have been so supportive all over the world.” “I was approaching, and there’s no better feeling than crossing the finish line first here.”
As Hamilton fended off Verstappen’s late assault to become the first Formula One driver to win on any track nine, Silverstone held its collective breath in the final laps.
In addition to his 104 victories and 104 pole positions, Hamilton also set a new Formula One record, saying, “For me, personally, it’s the best track in the world.” Together with Michael Schumacher, he co-owns a record seven Formula One titles.
How, then, was he going to commemorate?
“With curry,” he remarked. “I adore Indian cuisine.”
He beat Verstappen by 1.5 seconds in the tight finish, and Lando Norris of McLaren came in third place, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
An emotional sound After thanking his team over the radio, Hamilton tried to gather himself a few minutes later and remained tearful.
As he spoke to the assembly, Hamilton admitted, “I’m still crying.”
With Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell starting from pole position ahead of Hamilton, Norris following from third, and Verstappen finishing from fourth, there were great expectations for a home victory at Silverstone.
With a problem with his car’s water system on Lap 34 of 52, Russell’s dreams of winning an F1 championship twice in a row failed.