Nigel Mansell still holds a British Grand Prix record that Lewis Hamilton will likely never break

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Lewis Hamilton is the King of Silverstone with the record for wins and pole positions at the British Grand Prix, but will likely never beat Nigel Mansell’s pole margin from 1992.

Silverstone has played host to some of the most iconic moments that Hamilton has enjoyed in his Formula 1 career. The Northamptonshire circuit even renamed its pit straight after him in recognition of what Hamilton has achieved on home soil and in F1 since debuting in 2007.

Hamilton is the only person to ever have a part of Silverstone named after them, despite the success that other Britons have enjoyed in motorsport. A total of 13 British drivers have won their home Grand Prix at least once so far – including Mansell in 1986, 1987, 1991 and 1992.

Fans flocked onto the circuit at the peak of Mansell Mania when he won the 1992 British GP, as well. But it was the manner in which the native of Upton-upon-Severn took pole position with Williams at the 1992 British GP that Hamilton will likely never beat, despite his records.

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Lewis Hamilton will likely never beat Nigel Mansell’s 1.919s pole position margin at the 1992 British Grand Prix

Hamilton boasts a record seven British Grand Prix pole positions to date after surpassing the previous record of five set by Jim Clark back in 2018. Hamilton recorded his first pole for the British GP in 2007 for McLaren and for Mercedes in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

READ MORE: The best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1

Stevenage-born Hamilton also has a record nine British Grand Prix wins, having taken to the top step of the podium for McLaren in 2008 and Mercedes in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. He took the win record off Clark and Alain Prost, who won five times.

But Hamilton will likely never beat the massive 1.919-second margin that Mansell held over the field when he secured pole for the 1992 British GP. Mansell denied his teammate at the time, Riccardo Patrese, with one of the biggest pole position winning margins in F1 history.

Mansell even held a 2.741s margin over McLaren’s Ayrton Senna in third place in qualifying for the 1992 British GP, thanks partly to the brilliance of the Williams FW14B and its iconic active suspension. Mansell took a total of 14 pole positions en route to the F1 title in 1992.

Hamilton’s biggest pole position winning margin at the British Grand Prix to date came back in 2017 when he beat then-Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen by 0.547s. Given the tight margins between teams in F1’s modern era, Hamilton will likely never beat Mansell’s 1.919s margin.