After standing atop the F1 podium at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, Lewis Hamilton had to toil hard and battle against tricky Mercedes F1 cars for over two and a half seasons. To be precise, it was a 945-day wait before he won a Grand Prix again in Silverstone last year. Nevertheless, the patience paid off as the seven-time world champion shed tears upon this return to winning ways.
It was nothing less than a fairytale return for the #44 driver as he broke his win drought on home turf. With that victory, Hamilton also won a record-breaking ninth British GP — the record for the most wins at a single Grand Prix — which was jointly held by him and Michael Schumacher, for Hungary and France, respectively.
While the epic nature of it made Hamilton and his fans quite sentimental, even rivals couldn’t control their emotions. Alpine team principal, Oliver Oakes admitted to being one of them.
On James Allen’s podcast, Oakes stated, “What Lewis did last year [at Silverstone]. I had a bit of a, I’m not ashamed to say it, a tear in my eye. It was a massive win there.“
Alpine boss Oliver Oakes got a bit emotional after Lewis Hamilton’s win at Silverstone last year
(️ JamesAllenOnF1Podcast) pic.twitter.com/Gl7oE66bw6
— Autosport (@autosport) January 28, 2025
2024 was slated to be the Briton’s last season with the Silver Arrows after he had announced he would be moving to Ferrari from 2025 onwards, earlier in the year. Hamilton did win once again, at the Belgian GP, but his farewell season at Mercedes was far from perfect.
Despite question marks, Ferrari might get a rejuvenated Hamilton in 2025
The entirety of the 2024 season was marred by the W15’s performance and balance issues for Hamilton. So much so, that in the latter half of the year, Hamilton had seemingly given up on the car, and his performances reflected his dejected state of mind.
He was completely outclassed by his teammate, George Russell in Grand Prix qualifying (5-19) and question marks were raised about the seven-time world champion’s ability to go toe-to-toe with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari this season.
That said, most of Hamilton’s issues stemmed from an acrimonious breakup with the Brackley-based squad and his lack of faith in the W15. With Ferrari, the iconic Italian team has a chance to give the Briton a car that he feels comfortable with again.
If that is the case, the team can expect a rejuvenated driver. The form book from last season suggests that Ferrari have a race-winning car under their belt, and a motivated Hamilton could turn their 2025 challenger into a championship contender.
