First F1 success in 945 days
Hamilton wins in rain chaos and breaks Schumacher record
07.07.2024, 17:26
The rain in England caused plenty of pit stops, overtaking maneuvers and changes in the lead at the Formula 1 race in Silverstone. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton knew how to use this to his advantage: the Mercedes star won a Grand Prix for the first time in over two and a half years.
The King of Silverstone triumphs in the tire-changing game: Formula 1 record world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton has ended his dry spell after an almost endless 945 days and climbed back to the top step of the podium at his home race. The Mercedes star won the British Grand Prix, which was marked by several rain showers, ahead of world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Netherlands) and his compatriot Lando Norris in the McLaren.
“This means so much to me,” stammered Hamilton in the car. “We will win, we never give up,” radioed team boss Toto Wolff to the emotional Briton. The weight that had been lifted from the future Ferrari driver became clear to the seven-time world champion with every second after the victory. “Since 2021, I have tried every day to get back on track. It was the last time the British Grand Prix with this team, I wanted this victory,” said Hamilton. He hugged his equally moved father Anthony for a long time, and let the fans and his family celebrate him with the British flag.
While Hamilton triumphed in Formula 1 for the 104th time after 57 races without a win and finally made a splendid impression in his frustrating final season for Mercedes, Verstappen extended his lead over Norris in the World Championship to 83 points. Nico Hülkenberg achieved a strong sixth place in the Haas, repeating his result from the previous week in Austria.
“Max has a good chance, he is prepared for the conditions and in a strong position,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner shortly before the start on Sky. Verstappen had caused significant damage to his underbody during a ride in qualifying on Saturday – and still managed to get fourth place on the grid with a difficult-to-steer racing car. After a few corners in the race, Verstappen was already third with his repaired car because he took advantage of a small mistake by Norris.
Wild duels between Mercedes and McLaren
In the early stages of the race, the race strategists looked up to the sky almost as often as they did to the track. It was clear to everyone: If the rain came, the race would be decided.
After a quarter of the Grand Prix, Verstappen had problems with his tires. His friend Norris, with whom he had quickly spoken out after the collision in Spielberg a week ago, easily overtook him. A little later, Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was also unstoppable for the Dutchman. At the front, Hamilton overtook his teammate George Russell on lap 18 to loud cheers, while the first of the die-hard English fans put on their rain capes.
Parts of the track were now wet, the McLaren and Mercedes were engaged in wild duels, and on lap 20 Norris and Oscar Piastri were suddenly ahead of Hamilton and Russell. However, anyone who had switched to intermediates early on, like Verstappen’s unlucky teammate Sergio Perez, had gambled too much, and the traditional circuit was quickly dry again.
Schumacher’s record from Magny-Cours is history
It was only halfway through the race that the rain started to get heavier. Verstappen was the first of the top five to switch to intermediates and was back in the fight for victory. While Austrian winner Russell had to park his Mercedes in the 34th of 56 laps due to a problem with the cooling system and was out of the fight for victory, Hamilton and Verstappen were looking for a decision: when the track dried out again, they switched back to slicks earlier than leader Norris.
Hamilton returned to the track as the leader and defended his lead, winning his home race for the ninth time. No other driver in Formula 1 history has triumphed on a race track as often; he previously held this record with Michael Schumacher, who won the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours eight times.