Lewis Hamilton admits he was so emotional after his victory in the British Grand Prix because has had moments where he thought he would never win another race.
Mercedes locked out the front row at Silverstone and Hamilton took the lead from teammate George Russell in the first part of the race when light rain saw the frontrunners trying to keep lapping on slick tires. As the rain intensified and the field switched to intermediates, Hamilton dropped behind Lando Norris before regaining the lead with a well-timed pit stop for slicks, securing his first victory since 2021 — a run of 945 days.
“It feels different to previous races, particularly…where you’re having race after race after race, or seasons where you’re having multiple wins,” Hamilton said. “I think with the adversity we’ve gone through as a team, and that I personally felt that I’ve experienced — those challenges — [it’s a] constant challenge, like we all have, to get up out of bed every day and give it our best shot.
“There are so many times when you feel like your best shot is not good enough, and [there’s] the disappointment sometimes that you can feel. We live in a time where mental health is such a serious issue, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve not been… that I have experienced that.
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“There’s definitely been moments where [I] thought that ‘this was it,’ that it was never going to happen again, so to have this feeling coming across the line… I think honestly, I’ve never cried coming from a win. It just came out of me. It’s a really, really great feeling. I’m very, very grateful for it.”
Hamilton’s emotions were clear over team radio after the race, crying as he spoke to his team and telling his race engineer Pete Bonington “I love you, Bono.” The nine-time British Grand Prix winner says the win means more to him emotionally given where he is in his career, after becoming the first driver to win a race in Formula 1 after making his 300th start.
“Yeah, it does, because…I’ve had my parents come to the race here and there,” he said. “My mum was there when I won a championship, my dad was there when I won a championship. It’s always been just at a different point of life. First world championship was incredible, but it was really difficult to absorb it all, [at the age I was].
“I think this weekend, just within life — your parents are getting older, you’re traveling so much, time with family is a constant challenge. My niece and nephew are growing up and growing out their cuteness, but I had them here this weekend, and we all try to be there for each other, even at a distance. But to have them there…
“I know I’ve always had their support, but to be able to see them there and have them share that experience — they wanted to be there for my last British Grand Prix with this team that has been so incredible to us. Mercedes supported me since I was 13, so it’s definitely meant the most today, to have them there and be able to share it with them.”