Max Verstappen reaction to Lewis Hamilton winning British Grand Prix says it all
Lewis Hamilton ended his winless streak on Sunday at the expense of Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen pulled up alongside Lewis Hamilton on the cooldown lap at the British Grand Prix, giving the Mercedes driver a thumbs up after he ended a 56-race win streak on home soil. The Dutchman later described the feeling of winning in front of your own crowd as ‘something special’.
Hamilton was far from a favourite heading into the race. His team-mate, George Russell, beat him to pole position on Saturday, and both Lando Norris and Verstappen were fancied to threaten Mercedes on pace during the Grand Prix.
However, the seven-time world champion came alive during the Grand Prix, snatching the lead off Russell during the early phase of the race, capitalising on a messy race execution from McLaren and Norris before holding off the threat of a charging Verstappen during the final stint.
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The Brit was extremely emotional on the radio and in the pit lane after climbing out of the cockpit, and the win was also a popular one with his rivals. Verstappen and Norris were both quickly on the scene to congratulate Hamilton on the cooldown lap, and Oscar Piastri also did the same.
Speaking to Viaplay about his congratulatory action, Verstappen explained: “Great, right? He of course drove a good race… also made the right calls, and they were just a bit faster than us. And for him to win in front of his home crowd, it’s always something special.”
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As well as representing the end of a gruelling win drought that dates back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s British GP victory also etched his name into the history books as he became the first-ever driver to win nine times at a single racetrack.
Hamilton’s emotions were put into context after the race. He explained: “With the adversity we’ve gone through as a team, and that I personally felt that I’ve experienced, those challenges, the constant challenge like we all have to get up out of bed every day and give it our best shot, there are so many times when you feel like your best shot is not good enough.
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“There are so many times when you feel like your best shot is not good enough and the disappointment sometimes that you can feel. We live in a time where mental health is such a serious issue and I’m not going to lie, I have experienced that. There’s definitely been moments where the thought that this was it, that it was never going to happen again.”