(Silverstone) Lewis Hamilton held off a late charge from Max Verstappen to win a thrilling British Grand Prix on Sunday.
He collected his first victory since the penultimate race of the 2021 season.
Hamilton became the first F1 driver to win nine times at a single track. He also extended his F1 record to 104 victories.
His last win came at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in December 2021 – the year he relinquished the title to Red Bull driver Verstappen.
PHOTO ANDREW BOYERS, REUTERS
Lewis Hamilton jumped into the arms of his teammates to celebrate his victory.
The seven-time F1 champion beat reigning champion Verstappen by 1.5 seconds with Lando Norris finishing third for McLaren, ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Hamilton, in tears, thanked his team over the radio. He was still emotional several minutes later, struggling to compose himself.
“I’m still crying,” Hamilton said, addressing the crowd.
There were definitely days between 2021 and here where I felt like I wasn’t good enough.
Lewis Hamilton
There were high hopes of a home win at Silverstone, with Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell leading the way ahead of Hamilton and Norris.
Verstappen was in fourth place at the start.
Russell’s hopes of a second straight win ended on 34e lap 52, due to a suspected problem with his car’s water system.
A few laps later, McLaren botched Norris’ tire change.
Verstappen passed Norris with four laps to go but was unable to catch Hamilton, much to the delight of the majority of the 164,000 crowd.
PHOTO JOE KLAMAR, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris
Moments after his victory, Hamilton jumped into the arms of the mechanics and shared a long hug with his father.
He then enjoyed the applause of the supporters. Taking a British flag, he jumped over a barrier and then held it in the air.
“I can see you every lap. There’s just no better feeling,” he told the cheering crowd.
PHOTO BENJAMIN CREMEL, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Lewis Hamilton
The start saw Russell and Hamilton get away cleanly, while Verstappen passed Norris.
Rain began to fall after 25 minutes of racing on the 5.9-kilometre track.
After Hamilton snatched the lead from Russell in the wet, Norris took advantage of a mistake by Russell to move into second.
Verstappen, Norris and the Mercedes pitted for new tyres shortly after the halfway point. McLaren kept Piastri out for a bit longer, costing them a chance of victory.
After that, Norris had a lead of just over three seconds over Hamilton, while Verstappen was falling back.
The next tyre changes were crucial, with just over 10 laps to go.
Verstappen, Hamilton and Norris made quick changes, but McLaren took too long on Norris’ rear (4.5 seconds).
He came out 2.4 seconds behind leader Hamilton, while Verstappen made up ground. However, he came up short.
Hamilton is the sixth different winner this season – compared to just three in 22 races last year.
Canadian Lance Stroll finished seventh with Aston Martin.
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