Hamilton Back On Top After 945 Days
Credit: Peter Cziborra/Reuters
On December 5, 2021, Lewis Hamilton defeated Max Verstappen after a titanic battle to claim victory in the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of that season’s calendar. It was the Brit’s eighth win of the year, and the 103rd of his career. If you would’ve said that this would be Hamilton’s last victory for nearly the next 1,000 days, you would’ve been laughed at by the F1 community. In fact, just one week later, Hamilton was in position to take not only his 104th career victory, but also a record-breaking eighth world championship as well.
Of course, that race was the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where both the win and the title were cruelly snatched from Hamilton’s hands thanks to a late safety car and subsequent dubious officiating by the FIA. It appeared that win #104 would have to wait until next season for Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team. Little did people know that that race would be as close to winning as Hamilton would come for the next two and a half years.
The worst season of the seven-time World Champion’s career followed in 2022. He failed to win a race for the first time ever, and suffered two DNFs on top of that, breaking his impressive race-finishing streak. His sixth place in that year’s championship was as low as Hamilton had ever finished. On top of all that, he had to watch his new Mercedes teammate, George Russell, claim the team’s only victory of the season in Brazil, at a track that Hamilton himself had dominated in years past. It was a miserable season for the Brit, but despite that, he remained motivated to return to the top step of the podium.
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The 2023 campaign also did not see Hamilton achieve his elusive 104th win, but it was a step in the right direction. This time around, he finished third in the season standings, and captured a pole position (something he had also failed to do in 2022) in Hungary. Multiple podium finishes for the seven-time World Champion boosted his spirits, and showed the world that he still had what it took to battle at the front of the pack. While Mercedes as a whole failed to pick up a race win, they managed to secure second in the Constructors Championship, largely thanks to the heroics of Hamilton. Even as he neared 40 years of age, it was clear that the Brit was once again driving at the top of his game. Teams around the paddock took notice of the reinvigorated Hamilton, most of all Ferrari.
Sure enough, prior to the beginning of the 2024 season, it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be moving on from Mercedes after a decade-long partnership, and joining forces with the iconic Maranello outfit for 2025. Hamilton driving for Ferrari had always been a pipe dream in the minds of F1 fans, but now, it was only a year away from being a reality. The announcement sent shockwaves throughout the Formula One community, as 2024 suddenly became Hamilton’s last year with the team that had brought him six world titles. People began to wonder whether the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix would go down as Hamilton’s final win with Mercedes, or perhaps even his final career win. And with a tumultuous start to the new season for the silver arrows, the rumblings grew even louder.
However, Toto Wolff and Mercedes were determined to secure at least one more victory with their superstar driver. The outfit steadily improved their form during the spring months, and in Spain, they finally delivered a car that Hamilton and Russell could challenge the front runners with. A measured drive from their world champion saw him finish on the podium for the first time all season. The following race, while not as strong for Hamilton, ended with George Russell claiming the second win of his career, albeit thanks to a collision between leaders Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Mercedes were once again back on top, but once again, it was Russell, not Hamilton, claiming victory. Nevertheless, the seven-time World Champion remained stoic, congratulating his teammate for a stellar drive and applauding the team for all their hard work. The W15 was finally up to par with the rest of the field; now, all that was left was for luck to fall Hamilton’s way, and for him to capitalize on the next opportunity given to him.
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And he would get that opportunity just one week later at his home race, the British Grand Prix. Entering the weekend, Hamilton had eight wins around the iconic Silverstone circuit, yet most people were picking Verstappen or Norris to claim victory this time around. Mercedes were keen to prove fans wrong, and arrived at the track with a car that was quick and comfortable to drive right from the start of FP1. This momentum continued into Saturday’s qualifying, and the silver arrows locked out the front row of the grid for the first time in years, with Russell taking pole position over Hamilton. For the first time all year long, Lewis Hamilton would start a grand prix from a top two position, with clear track ahead of him for the run down to turn one.
The race start on Sunday was not ideal for the seven-time champion, but he managed to comfortably slot into second behind his teammate Russell. For the opening stage of the race, the two Mercedes paced the field, as Verstappen, Norris, and Oscar Piastri all tried to catch up. When rain began to sprinkle down on the Silverstone circuit, Hamilton saw an opportunity to pounce for the lead. He was carrying a bit more downforce than Russell, meaning he could find more grip in the slippery conditions than his teammate. Hamilton quickly caught, and overtook, his fellow Brit, and claimed the top spot in the running order, much to the delight of the fans. However, this success was short-lived, as the two McLarens quickly proved to be the superior machinery in the wet conditions. Just a few laps later, both Norris and Piastri had worked their way past Hamilton, who now rode in third place after leading just minutes earlier.
The race appeared to be lost for Mercedes. However, as the rain continued to pour down, it became apparent that intermediate tires were needed. Due to Piastri and Norris running so close together, McLaren decided to leave the Australian out an extra lap compared to his teammate to avoid double stacking. This decision proved costly for Piastri, who lost several seconds slipping and sliding around the track while Norris and Hamilton emerged from the pits with fresh rubber. By the time the Australian made it back around and completed his service, he had been dropped down out of the top five, leaving Hamilton and Norris to fight it out for the top spot.
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When the time came to change back onto slicks, McLaren again messed up the strategy. They pitted Norris a lap after Hamilton, and gave him the soft compound tires instead of the mediums, which were the favored race tires. Hamilton had been forced onto softs due to not having any fresh mediums, and had Mclaren fitted the yellow-marked rubber onto Norris’s car, they may have had a chance at the win. However, this decision, along with a slow pit stop, saw Norris emerge back onto the track behind the seven-time World Champion, and with no tire advantage to catch him. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was charging towards the front on brand new hard tires, which were degrading far less than the softs. If Hamilton wanted to hold on and break his 56 race-winless streak, he was going to have to hold off the very same driver who had stolen both the win and championship from him back at the end of 2021, and then went on to dominate the sport in ways we hadn’t seen since Hamilton himself was on top. As Verstappen overtook Norris, and neared ever closer, all eyes were on the man out front, the most decorated driver in Formula One history, as he tried to make history one more time.
Finally, at the end of 52 laps, Lewis Hamilton crossed the line to claim his record-extending 104th F1 race victory, and a record-breaking ninth win at a single track. His adoring British fans roared as their hero trundled around the track on his cool-down lap. Numerous competitors, including Verstappen, pulled alongside to offer their congratulations. The whole Mercedes team were ecstatic in the pitlane. And Hamilton, sitting in the cockpit of his W15, began to cry. Over an 18 year career that had seen 103 race victories and 7 championships, the F1 community had never seen Lewis Hamilton this emotional after a win. As he climbed from his car and embraced his father in the pit lane, all seemed right in the world of Formula One. The sport’s most successful driver had finally found his way back where he belonged; on the top step of the podium. Back in 2021, no one would have thought that win #104 would mean much to Lewis Hamilton. But 945 days later, few things could have meant more.
