Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix, ending a 945-day winless streak and topping the Formula One podium again while driving for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton admits that during his long hiatus from winning in Formula One there were times when he thought he’d “never win” again.
Hamilton delighted the Silverstone crowd on Sunday with a stunning win that ended a poor run of form in changeable conditions, taking advantage of a delayed pit stop by Lando Norris to take the lead before fending off a charging Max Verstappen.
The win was the 39-year-old Hamilton’s first in 945 days, by far the longest of his trophy-laden career. With no competitive car produced for the 2022 season, it took Mercedes a long time to give Hamilton a car capable of challenging at the front.
It was a new reality that was hard for Hamilton to get used to after so many years of consecutive success, and after finally experiencing the joy of victory again, he admitted there had been dark times during the long wait.
Questioner Mirror Sports If it was hard to continue believing they could win again, Hamilton replied: “The adversity we’ve overcome as a team and the difficulties I’ve felt and experienced personally – the constant challenge for all of us to get out of bed every day and do our best.”
“There are many times when you feel like your best isn’t enough and you end up feeling disappointed. We live in a time where mental health is a real issue and, honestly, I’ve experienced that myself.”
“There were definitely moments where I felt like this was the last time, this is never going to happen again. So I just had this feeling crossing the finish line. I’ve never cried over a win before. I just started to cry. It’s such an amazing feeling and I’m so grateful.”
Hamilton has had plenty of success at his home race – this was his ninth win at Silverstone (a record) and 104th overall – and many of the most memorable moments of his illustrious career have come on his home soil.
When Hamilton was reflecting on his greatest win at Silverstone, he was referring to his famous win in the rain with McLaren in 2008. The seven-time champion said it was difficult to compare his successes with one another but that this win might just be his best yet.
He added: “I think it’s the longest time I’ve been to play in a home Grand Prix – 945 days – and there’s been a lot of emotion building up over that time, so I think this one might be one of the most special for me, if not the most special.”
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