Lewis Hamilton admits he ‘couldn’t believe’ one McLaren feat at Silverstone

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Lewis Hamilton won one of the most hotly-contested F1 races in recent memory at Silverstone last weekend. The Briton started second and briefly ran third before winning on home soil for the ninth time.

Teammate George Russell led the field away from pole and controlled the race in the dry early on. But he was at a disadvantage when it started raining because he was the first to encounter the changing conditions at each corner.

Hamilton got ahead but the two Mercedes drivers soon fell behind both McLarens. After Russell retired, the seven-time world champion was able to find his way back into the lead with smart strategy calls.

Max Verstappen, who had uncharacteristically struggled for much of the race, mounted a late charge. Verstappen was on more durable hard tyres and he made light work of Norris on relatively fragile softs.

He then set about catching Hamilton but came up short, finishing 1.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag. Three different drivers had held the lead on merit before the 39-year-old established his grip.

His first British Grand Prix win came in McLaren’s colours back in 2008. He would have to wait six years for his second in 2014, but his dominance of the event since has been truly unprecedented.

Lewis Hamilton stunned by McLaren pace in the wet at Silverstone

Reflecting on the race in the post-race press conference, Hamilton expressed his amazement at the speed of the two McLaren cars when it started raining. He’d been fighting to keep Russell in his sights early on and thought he could capitalise on the shower.

But Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both came alive. The former slipped past Hamilton into turn one, while the latter powered by on the Hangar Straight.

He’s mystified as to how they maintained the heat in their tyres when they had to be significantly more cautious. He could do little to stop them coming through, and had to focus on limiting the gap.

“I was supposed to go a lot longer than George,” he said. “He had a really great pace, and he was trying, obviously, to break the tow, so I was trying to make sure that I stayed within 1.6 or two seconds.

“And then I knew that I could see the rain was coming. And when that rain came, I knew that that was the moment to pounce. And then we both went off and the McLarens came by. I couldn’t believe it.

“I couldn’t understand how they were able to generate so much heat still in their tyres or maybe it’s the aero or whatever. But then just trying to hold on to them.”

Damon Hill tells Hamilton critic to ‘shut up’

Norris was among those to congratulate Hamilton after his British GP win. While he was able to stand on the podium in front of his adoring fans for the second straight year, the end result was disappointing.

The 24-year-old was around three seconds clear at the front when the track dried sufficiently to switch back to slicks. Even after staying out a lap too long and making a questionable tyre choice, he could have kept track position if he hadn’t overshot his box.

A combination of errors from the driver and the team ultimately cost them victory. McLaren are effectively learning how to win again with what is their strongest car since 2012.

Hamilton may have arrived at Silverstone on a 56-race win drought, but he still held the all-time record on 103. His partnership with Mercedes has been the most successful in F1 history.

That experience was more valuable than ever in a uniquely challenging race. Damon Hill felt that Hamilton had underlined his ‘GOAT’ status, and told one fan to ‘shut up’ when they challenged him.