Top five Silverstone moments: Lewis Hamilton

Silverstone has witnessed countless unforgettable moments throughout its rich history, but seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has truly made this 3.66 miles of Northamptonshire tarmac his own. He’s set awe-inspiring records in his wake and forged an unparalleled connection with his home crowd that has spurred him on to some truly outstanding performances.

From the moment Hamilton first turned a wheel in F1, Silverstone’s combination of high-speed corners, overtaking opportunities and changeable weather has provided the perfect platform for him to showcase his raw pace and fearsome racecraft, as well as highlighting his mantra to never give up on several occasions.

Such has been the #44 racer’s influence on the British Grand Prix during his 17-year stint in the sport that in 2020, the international pit straight was renamed the Hamilton Straight to honour his achievements. Having won the race on eight separate occasions – three more than Jim Clark and Alain Prost and four more than Nigel Mansell – he is comfortably the most successful driver in history to race at Silverstone, cementing his place in the pantheon of F1 legends.

2007

Pole at the first time of asking 

Hamilton’s first season in Formula 1 was a remarkable one. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone marked the halfway point of the championship, and the rookie sat atop the championship as he was yet to finish off the podium in the opening eight rounds.

In the closing minutes of Q3, Hamilton was fourth on the timesheets with a tenth and a half separating himself and the pole position time. His McLaren-Mercedes team mate Fernando Alonso was able to extend his advantage by a further two and a half tenths before Kimi Räikkönen improved by another half a tenth, even after running wide on the exit of Luffield. Hamilton dug deep on his final run and overcame an oversteer moment on the entry to Luffield to set a 1:19.997 and go quickest of all to the delight of the British crowd.

The following day would not be one Hamilton remembered fondly, however. A faultless getaway and uninterrupted opening stint heading the pack wouldn’t be enough to suppress the pacey Räikkönen and Alonso, both of whom leapfrogged the British driver during the first round of pitstops with Alonso leading the way in the middle stint. With all of the stops completed, it was the Finn who emerged as the victor followed by the Spaniard and then Hamilton. Not the result he was hoping for but a podium at his first home Grand Prix provided plenty of incentive the following season.

2008

Wet weather masterclass

The first half of the 2008 season hadn’t proved quite as fruitful for Hamilton and yet he’d still claimed two victories at the season-opener in Melbourne and on the streets of Monte Carlo as well as two further podiums. Heading into his home race weekend he was placed fourth in the points standings, 10 points behind Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

Showers throughout the morning meant wet tyres were the only option for the start of the race. Heikki Kovalainen in the other McLaren-Mercedes had put in a storming lap during qualifying to take his first pole position, while Hamilton lined up fourth. He made quick work of Mark Webber and Räikkönen ahead and almost took the lead from Kovalainen, but the Finn didn’t let him have it all his own way. Eventually he got past his team mate but Räikkönen soon followed and was in hot pursuit of Hamilton.

During the first stops Hamilton took on fresh tyres and from there, the rain intensified, and he began to stretch his advantage. When the weather deteriorated further still, many of his nearest rivals came unstuck, spinning or aquaplaning off the circuit. Hamilton, however, maintained his composure through the treacherous conditions, finishing over a minute ahead of his nearest rival and lapping the field up to third place. Understandably this is widely considered to be one of his best drives in Formula 1.

WATCH: 2008 British Grand prix highlights

2014

Sixth to first

The 2014 season signalled the start of Formula 1’s new turbo-hybrid era, and with it came the intra-team rivalry at Mercedes between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The first eight rounds had not fallen in Hamilton’s favour. Despite winning four races in succession in Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Spain, he’d also suffered two DNFs while Rosberg had finished every race in the top two, leaving the #44 driver over a race win behind in the points standings.

A rare mistake from Hamilton would ultimately seal his fate in a mixed conditions qualifying. Having set the benchmark time early in Q3, he began his final run but backed out after a damp and slow first sector. Little did he know that the track had dried considerably in the final sector and by the time the session was over, five drivers had improved, and he’d slipped to sixth.

McLarens to leap up to second, then set his sights on Rosberg. As he closed the gap, his teammate’s gearbox began to give out, eventually leading to his first retirement of the season. Hamilton was left untroubled at the front of the field for the remainder of the race, eventually notching his second victory on home soil.