© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
By Carol M. Creasey
The weather forecast promised varying conditions for the Silverstone weekend, which was exciting news for the fans.
It meant that it would be more down to drivers’ skill in mastering them, rather than being in the fastest car. Mercedes looked fairly strong in practice, and Lewis and George both said they felt comfortable in the car. In qualifying in changeable conditions, which seemed to fare well for Mercedes, it was exciting. Lewis led the time sheets in Q1 and Q2, but in Q3, Russell beat him by a tenth to claim pole.
Lewis praised George and the team for their endeavours, but as always he was criticised by the media. David Coulthard on Channel 4 questioned that maybe Lewis in his prime would not have been beaten to pole. There have been tales circulating for a while now that Lewis is no longer the racer that he was, and some have been asking why he would go to Ferrari and not just retire? Armchair critics find it easy to try and bring someone so successful down, but fans of Lewis were actually quite excited that he would be starting the race from the first row.
Race day was sunny at the beginning, but was to turn out to be a day of mixed conditions. Opinions of who would win the race varied between Verstappen, who was starting 4th, Norris who was 3rd, Russell who was on pole, and very few apart from his own loyal fans actually thought Lewis could do it, because he hadn’t won a race for two and a half years. Betting odds only put Lewis as maybe finishing on the podium.
Lewis had already said that he could work with George to keep the other cars behind, so they could win the race. They both got a good start, and Lewis positioned his car to stop Verstappen and Norris from overtaking him or George, and initially they were able to pull away. A few laps later, Lewis overtook Russell. With conditions changing all the time and the track getting wet, they were both overtaken by charging Norris and Piastri.
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Ultimately, after two perfectly timed pit stops, Lewis emerged in P1, and had to make sure his tyres would last him until the end of the race. Sadly for Russell, his car had to be retired due to a water system issue, which must have been very disappointing for him at his home grand prix. It was now up to Lewis to get Mercedes a good result. During those last few laps, Lewis just kept going, the spectators were cheering him all the way round, and the atmosphere was electric, and all the while. Ultimately, Verstappen overtook Norris for P2 and hoped to catch Lewis too, but by lap 52 he had to settle for 2nd place. Lewis spectacularly won his first race since 2021, and with his ninth British Grand Prix win, he earned the nickname – the King of Silverstone.
The crowd went wild with excitement. This was the man who, after being deprived of his deserved eighth title win in 2021, spent two and a half years trying to help his team get back to where they should be, never gave up, and had now won again. And what better place than his home grand prix!
The emotion when he got out of the car was shared by everyone. Bono, his race engineer declared afterwards that he wasn’t crying, but had ‘something in his eye’. Lewis’ father Anthony, the man who has guided him on this spectacular journey in F1 was there to hug him, as was his beautiful mother Carmen. Lewis drove around the track with the Union Jack, acknowledging the fans, then he ran around the grass on the circuit holding the flag up. Nobody does it better than Lewis, and the crowd roared with appreciation.
If anyone has any doubts on whether Sir Lewis Hamilton still ‘has it’, the answer is right there. For all the trolls and fair weather fans who have hurled insults at Mercedes, accusing them of sabotaging him, and for the neurotic fan who sent the infamous accusatory e-mail, this is your answer. Lewis and Mercedes are not done yet!
Be sure to follow Carol on X @eagertogo and visit her website www.carolmcreasey.com!
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