Lewis Hamilton put a stranglehold on his GOAT case Sunday by winning his first F1 race in nearly three years at the British Grand Prix. In a riveting finish at Silverstone, Hamilton held off Max Verstappen and Lando Norris to clinch his record-extending 104th win and ninth British GP.
In the process, the Briton broke several new records:
- Aged 39 years and 6 months, Hamilton became the oldest driver to win a race in the 21st century, surpassing Kimi Raikkonen, who was 39 years and four days when he won the 2018 US GP.
- With his ninth victory at Silverstone, Hamilton surpassed Michael Schumacher for the most wins at a single circuit. The German legend won eight times at France’s iconic Magny-Cours.
- The seven-time world champion set a new record for the longest gap between a driver’s first and most recent win — 17 years since his victory at the 2007 Canadian GP. Raikkonen previously held the record, with 15 years separating his first and final Grand Prix victory.
- Until Sunday, no driver had ever won a Grand Prix beyond their 300th start. Hamilton won in his 344th start, ending a 56-race drought since his last victory at Saudi Arabia in 2021 (288th start).
- Hamilton became the first driver to win a GP in 16 separate seasons. His only winless seasons came in 2022 and 2023 as he watched RBR and Verstappen dominate proceedings.
Hamilton was overcome with emotions after ending a 945-day drought as he sobbed uncontrollably upon crossing the chequered flag.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” Hamilton said at the podium. “There have definitely been days since 2021 where I didn’t feel I was good enough or I would get back to where I am today but I have had great people around me and supporting me.”
Will Max Verstappen Overtake His Legacy?
As insurmountable as Hamilton’s accomplishments seem, it’s premature to assume they won’t eventually be broken. A few decades ago, many predicted that each of Schumacher’s records (especially the 91 GP wins) would stand the test of time. That was until Hamilton got behind the wheels of a Mercedes in 2013.
Now, Verstappen — with 61 wins from just 197 starts — has a realistic opportunity to eventually surpass Hamilton’s records, especially if RBR continues its dominance over the sport.
Records are meant to be broken.
That said, Hamilton isn’t done by any stretch and could add to his record tally when he joins Ferrari next season. The prancing red horse is projected to give him a better chance to win than Mercedes.
