"My heart is still racing," claims Hamilton after emotional Silverstone victory
Having taken a sensational victory at last Sunday's British Grand Prix, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton explained that his hard-fought 104th victory remembered him that his "heart is still racing".
There were sensational scenes at Mercedes on Sunday. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton started from the front row at Silverstone, and led the early phases of the race.
The rainy phase of the grand prix saw the two Mercedes men drop behind the McLarens, and Russell was forced to retire with a reliability issue. However, a perfectly-timed second pit stop saw Hamilton retake the lead from Norris to clinch his first victory since Saudi Arabia 2021, ending a 56-race streak.
"It means so much. It is the most incredible honour to be standing on the top step of the podium here at Silverstone. I think my heart is still racing!
"We’ve had so many amazing times here and today was the most emotional end to a win I’ve ever had. It has been a really challenging few years for everyone in the team.
"Knowing how hard everyone has worked to fight back, I think it was a real release of emotion. I am forever grateful to everyone in this team, to Mercedes, and to all our partners. To finally succeed is the greatest feeling I remember having.
"It was a tricky race out there. The changeable conditions made it a real challenge. We kept our cool though and made the right call at the right time to switch back to slicks. That helped us take back the lead and from there, we were able to bring it home," Hamilton commented.
While Hamilton followed up George Russell’s Austria win with his own 104th victory, Russell left Silverstone pointless despite a brilliantly-executed qualifying session that saw the British driver take his second pole position of 2024.
"I’m absolutely gutted. About 10 laps before I had to retire, I could see temperature alarms on my steering wheel. We had a water system issue we were battling and unfortunately, it won out. Congratulations to Lewis and the team though.
"He drove a great race and it’s a fully deserved victory. We’ve both been pushing so hard to help the team develop the car and it’s great to see that paying off.
"The car felt so good today. We knew it was going to be a long race with the weather conditions. When the rain first came down, we struggled a little. We were able to find our pace again though and it would have been an interesting battle to the end.
"Nevertheless, it’s been an amazing weekend for us as a team. We can be proud of what we’ve achieved and look forward to the final two races before the summer break with excitement."
