Hamilton: For me this is the best circuit in the world!

After his victory at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton answered questions from journalists…

Q: Lewis, what makes this win special for you?
Lewis hamilton: Probably because I haven’t won in a long time. Someone just said that it’s been about 946 days since the last victory. It’s a lot. Together with the team, we’ve been through a difficult period where we couldn’t compete in the last few years due to problems with the car. It wasn’t easy for everyone in the team to deal with it psychologically, but we did everything we could and dedicated ourselves to the work.

This year there was even more emotion when I announced that I would leave the team at the end of the season, and we suddenly found out that we would start the year again with a car that was not capable of fighting for victories. And yet we were able to win and win the home Grand Prix in front of our fans. It is an incredible honor to stand on top of the podium and hear the national anthem. And my whole family is here.

Q: Did you hear the screams of the fans on the last lap?
Lewis hamilton: The car drowns out the fans, but I saw their support, I felt it. Whether it’s a long turn seven or turn 15, you see this incredible crowd. For me, this is the best track in the world.

Q: Changing weather affected the balance of power. Under what conditions did your car perform best?
Lewis hamilton: At the end of the race. In the first stint there was not enough downforce from the front wing and there was understeer, but I didn’t know how long it would last, trying to drive as fast as possible.

I had been planning to go for a long time. I had a much longer distance to ride than George. He had a great pace, he was trying to get away and I was trying to stay within a second and a half to two seconds behind. And then I saw the rain was coming.

When the rain started I knew I had to attack it. And suddenly both McLaren cars just drove past. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t understand how they managed to generate so much heat in their tyres, maybe it was aerodynamics or something else. But I just tried to hold on to them. In the last stint we picked the perfect moment to cut Lando off, he was really the key, the team did a great job during the pit stop.

Q: Lewis, Mercedes won the second race in a row. What does this mean for the rest of the season?
Lewis hamilton: I am very grateful to everyone in the team. This is another reason to take our hats off to those who have continued to work without getting discouraged by the lack of results.

George’s win last week was great, but it wasn’t based on pure speed, and this weekend was the first time we won on speed.

Question: Does this give reason for optimism for Hungary?
Lewis hamilton: You know, I love Hungary. So yeah, I’m looking forward to this phase. The car is starting to come alive, I’m happy to be fighting for wins again.

Q: You were talking about ‘cutting’ when you passed Lando after the last pit stop. What were your thoughts at that moment, how difficult it was to win the race with Max catching up behind you?
Lewis hamilton: The conditions were difficult. From turn 14 to 15 the asphalt was wet, then dry in some places, turn 9 was dry. I understood that Lando’s left tyres were granulating quickly, as mine was. At first it was difficult to close the gap, but then it became easier. The track started to dry out, we just had to find the optimal moment. I think if Lando had pitted before me it would have been very difficult to stay ahead of him.

I think the moment I came out of Turn 15 and turned into the pit lane and he was still on the track I knew I had a chance to get past him.

Then I saw him sometimes in the mirrors. Every now and then he drove a very fast lap that I could not match. At the end, when Max started to close in, I attacked again with full force to keep the lead around three seconds. In the last laps the tires started to wear a bit, but the gap was enough. If there were still five laps to go until the finish, I do not know if I could have stayed ahead, but I am happy that I did.

Q: We know how much you are looking forward to joining Ferrari next year, but isn’t it bittersweet to have to say goodbye in front of your fans to a team you have just won a race with, just as they are about to go back into battle?
Lewis hamilton: At the beginning of the season, our car was seriously behind Red Bull in terms of speed. We never thought we could win races. And the fact that we all came together and did a great job together, getting the car to a state where we feel much more comfortable, gives us all a reason to be proud.

So I’m not leaving on a low, but on a high. This was our goal. There’s still a long, long way to go. Now our car is not the fastest, but we’re close and hopefully after the next few updates we can fight consistently for the lead.