There are only a handful of drivers in Formula 1 who can call themselves a master of driving in the rain. Lewis Hamilton being one of them is banking on the fact that his home race, the British Grand Prix is predicted to start under wet conditions.
Hamilton’s confidence to capitalize on a rain-hit Silverstone circuit comes from his very first home win all the way back in 2008. He won that race starting from P4 with a massive lead of 68 seconds to the second-place man, Nick Heidfeld.
In an interview before the final practice session, Hamilton said, “I’ll be doing the rain dance.” When asked what he hoped for in the Grand Prix on Sunday, Hamilton replied, “We need some rain. We need a repeat of 2008.”
#BritishGP | Lewis Hamilton: “I’ll be doing the rain dance. We need some rain. We need a repeat of [Silverstone] 2008.” pic.twitter.com/4mz9D3B0eG
— deni (@fiagirly) July 6, 2024
The wet conditions should favor the Mercedes duo as evidenced by their performance in a rain-hit FP3. The Silver Arrows were on the top of the timing sheet with the seven-time world champion finishing right behind his teammate George Russell in P2.
If Hamilton could replicate his magical performance from 2008, he could be looking at his 9th win in his home race.
Hamilton outclassed everyone in treacherous Silverstone conditions in 2008
Hamilton is the most successful driver at Silverstone. And while he must have had many great memories from his eight victories, the 2008 British GP will remain one of his greatest wins at home. He started the race from P4 behind the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen on a completely drenched track.
But, Hamilton had a great start and quickly passed the cars in front of him. By the first turn, the Briton was leading the race and by the 10th lap, had a six-second lead. However, Raikkonen was closing in on him. When both drivers pitted by lap 21, Raikkonen was right behind Hamilton.
McLaren re-fueled and gave a new set of intermediate tires to the British driver, while Ferrari decided not to change Raikkonen’s tires, thinking the track would dry up. However, the rain came back shortly after and Hamilton’s new tires gave him a big advantage. He stayed in the lead for the rest of the race, showing great skill and maturity despite being a young driver at the time.
He lapped everyone except the podium, and finished over a minute ahead of P2 @LewisHamilton was on another planet during the 2008 British Grand Prix! The first of EIGHT home victories #F1 #BritishGP @McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/i6qrPQSMSV
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2024
Now, Hamilton hopes for a similar scenario this weekend. If it rains, the 39-year-old believes he can turn the tables and add another win to his impressive record at the British Grand Prix.
