Mercedes
There were sensational scenes at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton followed George Russell’s win in Austria with his first victory since Saudi Arabia in 2021, ending a 56-race winning streak. That was achieved thanks to some smart strategic decisions by the Mercedes pit wall, as well as Hamilton’s usual brilliance at his home track, where he recorded a record ninth win. Meanwhile, pole-sitter Russell’s day was cruelly ruined by a suspected water leak that forced him to retire on lap 35.
Lewis Hamilton, 1st
“Today means a lot to me. It’s an incredible honour to stand on the top step of the podium here at Silverstone. I think my heart is still beating strong! We’ve had so many incredible moments here and today was the most emotional end to a win I’ve ever had. It’s been a really tough few years for everyone in the team. Knowing how hard everyone has worked to come back, I think it’s been a real release of emotions. I’m eternally grateful to everyone in this team, to Mercedes and all our partners. To finally achieve success is the greatest feeling I can remember having.”
“It was a tricky race. The changing conditions made it a real challenge. However, we stayed calm and made the right decision at the right time to switch back to slick tyres. That helped us regain the lead and from there we were able to take home the win.”
George Russell, non-graduate
“I’m absolutely gutted. About 10 laps before I had to retire, I could see temperature alarms on my steering wheel. We had a problem with the water system and unfortunately that was sorted. Congratulations to Lewis and the team though. He drove a great race and it’s a fully deserved win. We’ve both been putting in a lot of effort to help the team develop the car and it’s great to see that paying off.
“The car performed very well today. We knew it was going to be a long race due to the weather conditions. When it started to rain, we struggled a bit. However, we were able to find our rhythm again and it would have been an interesting battle right to the end. Nevertheless, it has been an incredible weekend for us as a team. We can be proud of what we have achieved and we look forward to the last two races before the summer break.”
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Today’s win is like a fairytale. It’s our last British Grand Prix together with Lewis and what a way to say goodbye. It’s an incredible feeling to be able to take victory in front of the British crowd with the most iconic and successful British driver in a Mercedes.
“Last week’s win was a fluke. We were quick in almost all conditions today. We were first and second for a long time and even though the McLarens were quick when the rain came down, we were able to get back ahead of them. It’s a win on merit and shows the determination of this team. We never stopped believing, we never stopped working and we were able to unlock the potential of the car. We’re on a roll now.
“George was unlucky today. He has been very strong recently and yesterday he took a fantastic pole position. Unfortunately, we had to retire his car due to a problem with the water system. He probably would have been in a position to fight for the win if it hadn’t been for that.”
Andrew Shovlin, Director of Track Engineering
“It was absolutely fantastic to see Lewis win today. The crowd here made it even more special, and it was an incredible race. It’s almost unbelievable that it’s been so long since we last won a race with Lewis and now, we’ve just won two weekends in a row as a team.
“It was a difficult race for George. We were monitoring the cooling system on his car from the opening laps and unfortunately it got to the point where we had to retire the car. However, he can keep his head up high. He put in a fantastic lap to take pole position and showed he had the pace to control the race in the first stint.
“Over the last few months we have seen the whole team working hard to improve the car. What we have achieved in such a short time is incredible. We will enjoy this moment because it is very special, but with two races left before the summer break, we will continue to strive to improve performance while continuing to get our championship back on track.”