Lewis Hamilton continues to be present.
After an absence of two and a half years, Lewis Hamilton proudly claimed victory at the British Grand Prix, marking his ninth win at this prestigious event and establishing a new record for the most victories at a single Grand Prix. In challenging, variable weather conditions at Silverstone, the seven-time champion demonstrated exceptional skill and judgment, successfully navigating rain showers and making critical tire choices. Hamilton also effectively defended against a late challenge from Max Verstappen, ultimately achieving his 104th career win in Formula 1 and his first victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“I can’t stop crying,” said a visibly emotional Hamilton afterwards. “I think, it’s been since 2021, just, every day getting up, trying to fight, to train… I’m very grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, and all of our partners. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for being here with us today. And then 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.”
At the start of the race, when the lights turned off, polesitter George Russell made a strong start, securing the lead ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen also had a good launch, and as Lando Norris faced difficulties with traction from the front row, Verstappen advanced to third place as they navigated through Turns 3 and 4. In the positions behind the leading four drivers, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri held fifth place, while Nico Hülkenberg fell from sixth to ninth, allowing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to progress from eleventh on the grid to eighth position.
With rain looming on the horizon, drivers were meticulously managing the performance of their starting tires in anticipation of potentially extended stints due to the wet conditions. By lap 14, Russell had established a 1.5-second lead over Hamilton, while Verstappen, experiencing difficulty with pace, saw the gap to the Mercedes cars widen to 4.5 seconds. Norris was just under a second behind Verstappen, with Piastri maintaining fifth place ahead of the Ferraris driven by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
“It’s so tough, but 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,” said Hamilton. “I mean, 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. And my team, every time I turn up and see them putting in the effort that really encouraged me to do the same thing.”
On lap 15, Norris closed in and overtook Verstappen on the approach to Stowe, reclaiming third place. Verstappen’s pace continued to decline, and by lap 17, Piastri executed a similar maneuver into Stowe, relegating Verstappen to fifth as rain began to fall at Silverstone.
At the front, Russell was beginning to struggle with the increasingly challenging conditions. On lap 18, Hamilton passed his teammate to take the lead. Russell attempted to respond, but at the start of lap 19, both drivers went off at Turn 1. This incident allowed Norris to overtake Russell, and on the subsequent lap, Norris maneuvered past Hamilton on the pit straight to assume the lead.
The McLaren team appeared to possess significant grip advantage, and as Norris extended his lead, Piastri overtook both Mercedes drivers, moving into second place.
“That crucial decision at the end, he just did a better job on, so hats off to him and Mercedes, they deserve it,” Norris said. “It was tough. It was enjoyable. It was fun battling these guys. And these tricky conditions are always, like, on a knife edge and you’re risking a lot. So, many things good, but a few too many let downs today. As a team, I don’t think we did quite the job we should have done, or good enough, but still lovely to be on the podium here in Silverstone.”
Meanwhile, Ferrari made a strategic decision, anticipating heavier rain and pitted Leclerc for Intermediate tires. Red Bull mirrored this strategy, hoping the rain would benefit Sergio Pérez, who was in 16th position. However, as the rain subsided, both teams were hindered by the slower Intermediate tires, diminishing their chances for significant points.
As a second, heavier shower ultimately arrived, Verstappen and Sainz capitalized on the opportunity to pit for Intermediate tires ahead of the pack. Norris followed suit from the lead at the end of lap 27, along with both Mercedes drivers. This briefly positioned Piastri in the lead on Medium tires, but after pitting the following lap, he emerged in sixth place.
“We just didn’t have the pace today,” Verstappen said. “I was slowly dropping back when it mattered in the beginning. So it didn’t look great at some point.”
Russell, constrained by being the second car in a congested Mercedes pit stop, also lost time. After the tire changes, Norris led ahead of Hamilton, with Verstappen in third and Russell now in fourth, just ahead of Sainz. However, Russell’s race took a turn for the worse as he received instructions to retire his car on lap 34 due to a water system issue. This development allowed Sainz to move up to fourth, now nine seconds behind Verstappen.
As the race entered its final third, improving conditions prompted a shift back to slick tires. On lap 38, Hamilton and Verstappen made their tire changes, with Hamilton opting for Softs and Verstappen choosing Hard tires. Norris, however, remained on track, which ultimately cost him significantly. A slower in-lap and a mishap in the pits caused Norris to rejoin just as Hamilton reclaimed the lead.
It was Verstappen, however, who appeared to have made the most advantageous decision. With 11 laps remaining, he was just 2.7 seconds behind Norris and surprisingly lapping significantly faster than the Soft-tyred drivers in front of him.
Over the next seven laps, Verstappen pursued Norris, and on lap 48, he successfully out-accelerated Norris down the Hangar Straight, passing the McLaren around the outside at Stowe.
Verstappen then began to close in on Hamilton, and with three laps to go, he was only three seconds adrift. While the Red Bull driver managed to halve the gap, Hamilton ultimately held on to secure a remarkable ninth British Grand Prix victory, setting a new record for the most wins at a single circuit.
In the race results, Piastri secured fourth position, followed by Sainz in fifth and Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg in sixth. Aston Martin competitors Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso finished in seventh and eighth places, respectively. Alex Albon achieved ninth place for Williams, and the final point was awarded to Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull Racing.
2024 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 52 1:22’27.059
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 52 1:22’28.524 1.465
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 52 1:22’34.606 7.547
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 52 1:22’39.488 12.429
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 52 1:23’14.377 47.318
6 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 52 1:23’22.781 55.722
7 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1:23’23.628 56.569
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1:23’30.636 1’03.577
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 52 1:23’35.446 1’08.387
10 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 52 1:23’46.362 1’19.303
11 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 52 1:23’56.019 1’28.960
12 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 52 1:23’57.212 1’30.153
13 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 51 1:22’36.996 1 lap /9.937
14 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 51 1:23’07.532 1 lap /40.473
15 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 51 1:23’08.880 1 lap /41.821
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 50 1:22’37.741 2 laps /10.682
17 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 50 1:22’45.064 2 laps /18.005
18 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 50 1:23’21.535 2 laps /54.476
George Russell Mercedes 33 52’51.677 Retirement
Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 0 – Not started
Photos/LewisHamilton/X
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