During the post-2024 British GP session, an emotional Lewis Hamilton admitted he “can’t stop crying” after his record-breaking win at Silverstone. In his “last home race” with Mercedes, he ended with by breaking Michael Schumacher and his own record for most victories at a single circuit.
Following George Russell’s win at Austria, the 7 time champion brought the fireworks again for the Silver Arrows today at Silverstone. This was the Briton’s 104th victory, his first since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in 2021.
Regarding his win, Lewis Hamilton came out to express his emotions and appreciations, right after the 2024 British Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton 2024 British GP: Race Highlights
Lewis Hamilton achieved a long-awaited, record-setting ninth victory at the British GP in an exhilarating race at Silverstone. Holding off a strong challenge from Lando Norris, the Mercedes driver clinched the win with a race time of 1:22:27.059.
At the start of the race, pole-sitter Russell led ahead of Hamilton. However, an intense battle soon emerged between the two Mercedes drivers and the McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri, as the weather conditions fluctuated.
The lead swapped multiple times as drivers began switching to intermediate tires. When the track dried, Hamilton gained an advantage by pitting for slicks one lap before Norris, who also faced a slow pit stop, allowing him to take the lead.
Despite Russell retiring because of a water system issue and Max Verstappen overtaking Norris for second place in the closing stages, Hamilton held on to secure an emotional victory. This marked his record ninth win at a single Grand Prix and his first P1 finish since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
During the last lap, it became clear that Verstappen was not going to get close enough to challenge for P1. As the chequered line approached, the seven-time world champion was clearly emotional, saying over the radio, “It means a lot to get this one”.
Building up on his win, the Briton continued this ’emotional run’ in the post-race media session as well.
Hamilton emotional after record-breaking win with Mercedes at Silverstone
In the post-race interview, Lewis Hamilton was asked about his emotions on win his first Grand Prix since 2021. He admitted that he “can’t stop crying” as it was his “last race here at the British GP” with Mercedes. Explaining his emotions, he replied by saying:
“I can’t stop crying!”
“It’s been since 2021, every day getting up, trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team.”
“This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team [before moving to Ferrari], so I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they’ve been putting in all over these years.”
With a switch to Scuderia Ferrari confirmed, this was clearly his last race in his home country with Mercedes. Thanking everyone on the British team, he further added:
“I’m forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, all of our partners, and otherwise to all our incredible fans…”
“I could see you lap by lap as I was coming around, and there’s just no greater feeling [than] to finish at the front here.”
During the session, he confessed to putting on a ‘brave face’ amidst his victory drought that last over two and a half years. Opening up on this journey, he continued by saying:
“It’s so tough, I think, for anyone.”
“I think the important thing is just how you continue to get up, and you’ve got to continue to dig deep even when you feel like you’re at the bottom of the barrel.”
“There’s definitely been days between 2021 and here where I didn’t feel like I was good enough, or whether I was going to get back to where I am today, but, the important thing is I had great people around me, continuing to support me.”
Moreover, he thanked his team for “putting in the effort“, which always “encouraged him to do the same thing“. Appreciating his “supportive” fans, he concluded by saying,
“My team, every time I turn up and see them putting in the effort, that really encouraged me to the same thing.”
“Otherwise, my fans, when I see them around the world, they have been so supportive.”
“A big, big thank you to everybody back at the factory, everyone here, I love you guys.”
With today’s victory, Hamilton earned 25 points, bringing his season total to 110. Despite this achievement, he remains at the P8 spot in the 2024 Driver Standings.
Looking ahead, he will face his next challenge at the iconic Hungaroring circuit for the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. The racing event is scheduled to take place from July 19th to 21st.
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