No other racer, active or retired, has as many wins at the Silverstone track as Mercedes driver Sir Lewis Hamilton. Watching the British driver at the historic track is always a pleasure, whether he is in a McLaren or a Mercedes.
With the practice sessions for the British Grand Prix done and dusted, we saw Lewis Hamilton in his true element, recording one of the fastest laps we have seen from him in recent outings.
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This has led many to speculate that he could record a surprise win at Silverstone this weekend despite his well-documented car struggles. If anyone can bounce back it is Lewis Hamilton.
Here are three of the seven-time champion's most memorable wins at Silverstone:
3.) Winning on three wheels
The 2020 British Grand Prix was a memorable one as the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the iconic race was held behind closed doors for the first time. Anyone who imagined that the lack of fans would lead to a dull atmosphere had another thing coming.
Hamilton was enjoying his home race as expected when suddenly his front tire burst around the eighth turn on the final lap.
There was something in the air that day because, before Hamilton, two other drivers had also suffered tyre problems, with Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz retiring to the garage.
With Max Verstappen closing in, Hamilton still managed to make the tough turns and hold off his opponent's desperate charge, eventually winning the race by only five seconds.
2.) Copse Corner Crash
The Copse Corner crash was the climax of what was an unforgettable weekend in F1. Last year’s British Grand Prix saw the introduction of the sprint qualification format, something that had long been proposed in the sport.
Hamilton was the fastest driver by some distance in the practice sessions, but during the sprint, he came in second to an inspired Max Verstappen. With Sir Hamilton the crowd favourite at home, and Verstappen snatching pole from the Briton, the stage was set for a genuinely pulsating race.
The race started as expected, with Sir Hamilton and Verstappen tied neck-in-neck as they struggled for the lead. The Mercedes eventually took pole by the fourth turn, following some good defensive driving by Sir Hamilton.
Never known for shying away from a challenge, Verstappen made a confident charge for pole around the sixth turn, but the risky move cost him his whole race. As Verstappen tried to secure a place inside the track, an accelerating Hamilton crashed into the Dutch driver in a heart-stopping moment.
The Red Bull car lost its rear right tyre, and Verstappen had a close call as he slid off the track and collided with the barricade at high speed.
The crash caused Hamilton to lose speed, and Ferrari’s Charles Le Clerc overtook him and led the race for most of the day. Unfortunately for the Monegasque, he suffered issues with his power unit, allowing Sir Hamilton to catch up and overtake him at Lap 50.
1.) First Win
Most people often say that the first time is always the most special, and we think that would have been the case for Sir Lewis Hamilton. Starting in fourth on the grid, and in the middle of heavy rains, a 23-year-old Lewis Hamilton was in no way a favourite to win the race.
However, with race leaders Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen struggling in the wet conditions, the seven-time champion went on to win the race by 68 seconds, the largest winning margin since 1995.
Coincidentally, his first win at Silverstone came in the same year the seven-time champion won his first-ever championship title.