He has won more races than anyone in the history of F1 – no less than 104 – and yesterday didn’t help him win his long-awaited eighth title or even put him in a title fight that is increasingly falling to Verstappen, but make no mistake, a win this Sunday will be emotional and special for Lewis. HamiltonHe emerged victorious once again after a long and difficult journey through an endless desert, and above all after an inner suffering that no one knew about.

Lewis Hamilton had the dominant car from 2014 to 2020, and in 2021 he had one of the best two. Among them In eight years he broke virtually every record, adding 81 wins and six titles with Mercedes to equal Schumacher’s total of seven. He has become accustomed to winning every week: he won 11 out of 19 races in 2014, 11 out of 21 in 2018 and 2019, and 10 out of 22 in an exciting 2021 due to his battle with Max. However, his last victory still came at the last Arabia 2021 event, on December 5th, after he lost to Max in the unforgettable and controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After 2 years, 7 months and 2 days, a total of 945 days, Lewis Hamilton has once again claimed glory.

“Today means a lot… It’s the most incredible honour to be standing on the top step of the podium here at Silverstone. I think my heart is still beating hard right now. We’ve had so many amazing moments here and today, hugging my mum and dad, I couldn’t hold back the tears, it was the most emotional end to a victory ever,” he said.

No wonder he cried as if he had won the crown again. This victory meant much more to him than it did to many others. It was the return of a legend who will chase the dream of an eighth title in the red of Ferrari from next year. It was the story of a champion who, injured since the final with Max in 2021, believed that the direction of his career had taken his crown. Since then, the seven-time champion has once again stated that, despite his great skill, in F1 you can’t win without a good car, and without a dominant car you can’t dominate as you have done before. Without a good car, Lewis couldn’t win again. Until Silverstone in 2024.

He revealed: “There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed.”

“It’s been a really tough few years. For everyone on the team. And I think it’s really a mental release because I know how hard everyone has worked to make this comeback.”quarrel.

And at the press conference, he was surprised to realize that he was. “Mental health issues.”

“It feels different than it has in previous races, especially races where you’ve won one after the other or seasons where you’ve won multiple times. I think with the adversity that we’ve experienced as a team and the adversity that I’ve felt personally, those challenges, those are constant challenges that we all have to rise to every day and do our best… There are many times when you feel like your best is not enough or that you are disappointed. We live in a time when mental health is a very real issue, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve experienced it.”he revealed.

“There was definitely a time when I thought this was the end of the road and it’s never going to happen again.” He spoke about never winning again. “So, this emotion crossing the line, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever cried after a win… it just came out of me. It’s a really, really amazing feeling. I’m so, so grateful,” he added.

“I’ve waited longer than I should have for this win, but I’ve had some mental health issues along the way. It’s something that’s bothered me when I was younger and it’s been a very difficult time.”commented on this matter.

“I try to arrive every day with a positive mindset, get to the garage, stay motivated, train… and there were days when I couldn’t get out of bed. Days when I thought I couldn’t do this anymore” and that it might be the end, “I’m glad I persevered.”he asserted.

“I think it’s all about how you get back up. Even when you feel like you’re at rock bottom, you have to keep going deeper.”. In other words, There were certainly days between 2021 and now where I didn’t feel like I was good enough or if I could get back to where I am today, but the important thing is that I had amazing people around me that continued to support me and my team. “Every time I see them working hard, it inspires me to work hard too. And when I see my fans all over the world, they are so supportive… I really, really thank you to everyone at the factory and everyone here. I love you and God bless you,” he exclaimed.

I’ve been suffering since 2022

Since the new regulations began in 2022, Hamilton had to swim against the current. He felt tension with the team when he did not agree with the pontoon-less concept they came up with, and then again when they decided to continue with this concept for 2023. And finally, he decided to make a surprise announcement: he would move to Ferrari in 2025, thus leaving behind the great family, the team of his life that he had always said he would end his career there.

The course was tough as usual, and his teammate Russell was passing him 10-2, especially on the turns. George from “Quarrie”And Toto Wolff told MD that Hamilton was very critical of him for not raising his level or being happy with the car. “I think Lewis was very self-critical. Quite a bit.”” said the Austrian, and at the same time, Lewis’s efforts over the last two and a half years to help the team have been outstanding, but without any results until 2024.

“Lewis over the last two and a half years has been a great performance for the team, because he has not lost his trust in 2022 and 2023, and now his collaboration at the beginning of 2024 has also been very good.” This is Lewis who couldn’t have done what he is doing now when he started at Mercedes. He’s older, more mature, he’s seen it all, from the point of view of best driving… If you look back at the two races in Barcelona, ​​you see great overtaking, good defense, great race pace and a podium. So it’s still there.”He said Wolf to MDThat was very evident at Silverstone, where Lewis came on brilliantly and started to make the difference from the first rain, but then his pace and calm reading of the race started to make the difference.

On difficult days, hands and experience come into play.

Hamilton stood out yesterday not only for standing out in his class in delicate conditions, but also for having a team that remembers how to win, and they made the most of their chances in a crazy race, a rollercoaster with five pilots who had a chance to win because of the rain.

The water appeared twice. The first time, the drivers had to fight back on dry tyres, but Lewis made a great attack on the ice rink and took the lead. But McLaren showed great pace in the rain and took first place from him. Norris had the best car to chase the win again. But more mistakes and he missed it again. Norris was leading when the rain started to fall again and the drivers stopped to put on intermediates. The rain stopped and everyone knew that the decisive moment of the race could be the last stop to put on dry tyres. Hamilton stopped a lap early. He started to attack. And in the pit stop Norris overbrakes and loses a few crucial seconds. But also, his team was using soft tyres instead of medium tyres, which might have given him the win against Hamilton who only had the soft tyres.

“It was a tough race, the changing conditions made it a really challenging race. “But we kept our cool and made the right decision to re-fit with slicks at the right time, which allowed us to take the lead back in the race and then take it home from there,” Lewis insisted. His experience and that of Mercedes in moments like this made the difference against Loris and McLaren, who still need a lot of improvement to be all set. They have one of the best cars, but there is still a lot to learn and grow.

So Verstappen started with poor pace but recovered with a good strategy and eventually, with better tyres, overtook Lando Norris in a worse car. Max chased Lewis with a few laps to go, reliving their 2021 head-to-head at Silverstone when the two collided. He was 1.5 seconds behind Hamilton but was back to his usual self, despite crying like never before yesterday.