Mercedes is finally in the mix for race wins courtesy of the crucial upgrades they brought recently. Ever since the 2021 season, this is the first time the team has registered consecutive wins. If George Russell’s win in Austria had an element of luck, Lewis Hamilton made sure to bag his on merit. That, as per Mark Webber, is a sign of Hamilton’s ‘shark-like’ instincts as the 39-year-old smelled blood and immediately acted on it.
The victory at Silverstone was a particularly emotional one for the #44 driver. It took him 945 days to take his race-win tally to 104. The reason why he had to wait for this long is Mercedes’ struggles during the ground-effect era. However, the team is emerging as a worthy contender for the top step of the podium lately.
Looking back at the performance while speaking with Channel 4, Webber said, “I’m a big Lewis fan. It was beast mode – home turf. He grabbed that race by the scruff of the neck, the key decisions. He drove the team. This is what I want. This is when I want it, and I’m going to deliver. So cool heads.”
“I think it was the back of the first stint when they’re talking about rain coming. This is him smelling blood at that point. That’s like a shark in the ocean,” Webber added. The former Red Bull driver then further dived into the seven-time champion’s mentality, explaining how he exerted pressure on the drivers around him to squeeze out the result.
‼️Mark Webber on Sir Lewis Hamilton and his 104th win :
“I’m a big Lewis fan. It was beast mode – home turf.”
“He grabbed that race by the scruff of the neck, the key decisions, he drove the team. This is what I want. This is when I want it, and I’m going to deliver. So cool… pic.twitter.com/Zs57oNLIfX
— sim (@sim3744) July 9, 2024
Hamilton fought with Max Verstappen, who kept gaining on him until the finish line. Although Hamilton may have turned out triumphant over the reigning champion, not many expected him to win before the race began. However, that list does not include Jeremy Clarkson.
Clarkson rightly predicted Hamilton’s win at Silverstone
As unbelievable as it might sound, Clarkson predicted Hamilton’s win at Silverstone not once, but twice. Before the start of the race, in a short interview with the Alpine F1 team, he went through an exclusive weather app on his phone to predict rain during the race.
In the given scenario, he predicted either Hamilton or Fernando Alonso would win the race. His rain prediction came true during the grid walk.
While at it, Sky F1’s Martin Brundle got a hold of him for a quick word. When asked for his prediction, Clarkson said, “It [rain] means the old boys get a chance – Alonso and Hamilton. If it rains, it’s always the old boys that do well, you know that Martin.”
