By Joe Murphy
Lewis Hamilton won the ‘race of the season’ contender in front of his adoring home crowd, as he did so in pulsating fashion. Win 104 and his first since Saudi Arabia in 2021 showed that he still has a lot to offer F1.
The first driver to win a race after 300 race starts, this 150th podium will also go in the record books as being the first event to see the same driver win the same race on nine separate occasions. Before today, Hamilton shared that record of 8 with Michael Schumacher. Now, he has the record all to himself in what was his final home race for Mercedes.
George Russell had started on Pole, and lead from Hamilton for the opening half a dozen laps. Hamilton eventually got passed, as did Lando and Verstappen. Lando eventually got Lewis too but this was a changeable race. It was never fully wet. It was never fully dry. Piastri held the lead albeit for a lap, before coming in for the intermediate tyre and falling back to sixth. In terms of strategy, it was Red Bull who seemed to have it right with Verstappen.
Leclerc and Perez were among those to suffer with awful strategies as they finished over a lap behind the leading pack.
George Russell then retired from the race with a water related issue, joining Pierre Gasly in the paddock after the latter had retired earlier with a gearbox problem.
When the track started to dry, it was Hamilton who capitalised on some poor decisions by both new race leader Lando Norris and his McLaren team, to take the lead. Lando rejoined two seconds behind Hamilton, and two ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen’s Hard tyre selection gave him the edge on the closing stages as he eventually overtook Lando to extend his lead in the standings. However, he ran our of laps to catch Lewis and eve tuslly finished 1.4 seconds behind the seven time World Champion. Lando held off his teammate who had recovered to be ahead of Carlos Sainz, to take the final place on the podium. This didn’t stop the British drivers from feeling disappointed with the race result.
Nico Hulkenberg deserves a shout out too as he claimed anotber season-best result for Haas in sixth, meaning the American constructor made gains on Team RB. Stroll and Alonso finished 7th and 8th to add to Aston Martin’s haul for the season, with Alex Albon achieving a second consecutive 9th place finish, leaving Yuki Tsunoda to take home the final point, with fastest lap going to the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
But this day was about one man and his emotional journey back to the top step in F1, after a painful and frustrating period away. For the start of the week at least, it’s England 1 the Netherlands 0.
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