Lewis Hamilton emotional after recording breaking Silverstone win: What’s next for the seven-time Formula One champion?
For Formula One fans, seeing the downfall of Lewis Hamilton, without a race win since 2021, has been a tough watch. For his team and his goals set at the start of a season, expectations have always remained high, so just how pleasing is it to see Lewis back where he belongs.
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00:00So, Dan, let's look at Lewis Hamilton. Obviously, an incredible British Grand Prix win. His
00:07final win at Silverstone in Mercedes Colours as well. Quite an incredible storyline to
00:14get there. It's been almost 1,000 days really since his last Grand Prix win. Let's just
00:21start with that and why has it been such a struggle for him? Obviously, he's touched
00:25on Mercedes car problems before and, you know, he's had to deal with the dominance
00:29of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, for example, as well. But overall, it's just not been there
00:35until this past race week. Well, when the rules changed in 2022, Mercedes, they didn't
00:43get it right initially, to be honest, and they've been playing catch up ever since.
00:47Obviously, in 2021, Lewis Hamilton had that intense title battle with Max Verstappen.
00:53The way that ended, you can have your own opinions on it, but that took some out of
00:57him as well. As I say, the rules changing in 2022, Mercedes didn't get it right and
01:01have been playing catch up since. Which has all affected it, meaning that they've been
01:05trying to develop the car and then every year since then, the car's been an iteration of
01:09that original car. And so it's been a real struggle because Lewis Hamilton, as an older,
01:15it seems weird to say him, as one of the older veterans in Formula One these days, I think
01:19has sort of resigned or consigned himself to helping to develop the car, knowing that
01:24George Russell is the younger driver in the team and will probably be at the team for
01:28a lot longer, or at least at the time, a lot longer than he was. Of course, now we know
01:32he is going to Ferrari, is Lewis Hamilton. But, you know, we've seen George Russell win
01:37a couple of Grand Prix with Mercedes in this time where perhaps he's been a bit fortunate
01:41in some regards to win them. But Lewis Hamilton has done a lot of the development work for
01:45that car, well, the three cars that they've had since the rules changed, and just trying
01:50to get it to a place where it's actually competitive, both in a qualifying session and in a race.
01:55You never would have thought for Lewis Hamilton that winning a race would be so emotional,
01:58given the fact that he's the all-time leading race winner in Formula One. He'd won 103 up
02:05till the point of winning the British Grand Prix this weekend. So you'd think it would
02:10just be sort of second nature to him, but because it's been such a long time and been
02:14such a struggle, even though he is the seven-time world champion, I think to come back from
02:18all the struggle and all the adversity that the Mercedes team have gone through with the
02:22car that hasn't been good enough, to then see him on the top step of the podium in his
02:26final year for the team as well. Let's not forget, Lewis Hamilton in one way or another
02:31has been a Mercedes driver since he started Formula One. When he was at McLaren, it was
02:35under a Mercedes engine, then he went to Mercedes-Benz, the works team, and finally this year he will
02:40leave to go to a completely different team in Ferrari. So it's going to be a big change
02:45for him, but I think as part of the farewell tour, so to speak, it's very, very fitting
02:51indeed. Of course, despite all the time waiting, he is still capable of doing remarkable things
02:57behind the wheel of a Formula One car.