Sir Lewis Hamilton was hailed the Formula One ‘GOAT’ by his peers after victory at the British Grand Prix – his first win for nearly three years.
The seven-time champion fought off Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to claim a record-breaking ninth win at Silverstone.
It was the Brit’s first win in F1 since Saudi Arabia in 2021 and after a dismal few years, fans and pundits where delighted to seem him back on top of the podium.
Among those was former rival and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel who simply posted on Instagram: ‘Goat [Greatest Of All Time]. Congrats Lewis.’
1996 champion Damon Hill posted on Twitter: ‘I feel so privileged to have seen this story from very early days. Today was the culmination of a lot of blood sweat and tears.
‘Amazing. So happy. What a great thing to see the return of the GOAT. Well done Dad,’ referring to Anthony Hamilton who shared an emotional hug with his son as he celebrated the win.
‘Lewis is a cut above normality. Max is exceptional as are a few more. But you don’t get results like Lewis has by accident.
‘It takes commitment, pain and sacrifice. Today was proof that all he needs is sniff of victory and the Phoenix will rise again.’
Former BBC F1 presenter Jake Humphrey wrote: ‘SO happy for Lewis Hamilton. His last race win was the race before THAT result in AbuDhabi 2021,’ where he lost the title to Verstappen in controversial circumstances.
‘The psychological impact of that was huge and yet he dug deep, kept working, kept believing, and today he gets his reward. This guy is genuinely the GOAT in my opinion. What a day x.’
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell, who started on pole but retired with mechanical issues, said: ‘Congrats Lewis, you deserve it.
‘Gutted to retire so early and a tough pill to swallow at our home race, but another win for the team shows the progress we’re making. We’ll keep getting stronger.’
Anthony Hamilton revealed to Sky Sports: ‘Lewis, was disappointed with himself yesterday, and said, he could do better. When the weather changed, he was in his element.
‘He was never going to give that up. He was never going to let this win slip. When Lewis hasn’t got it I’ll let you know. You can never doubt him.’
‘I’m so happy his parents were here, both of them were here to celebrate with him because this is one of those moments in time,’ 2009 champion and Hamilton’s former teammate Jenson Button told Sky Sports.
‘Even though he has won 104 races this is going to be one of the most special because it’s more towards the end of his career and he has just shown the world how good he is.’
‘It is surreal. My heart is racing. Had so many amazing moments in the past.
‘When I crossed the line, I had this moment when everything came by and I cried. You see other drivers cry like Rubens Barrichello but it never happens to me!
‘There were so many doubts in my mind along the way to the point where at times I didn’t want to continue. To keep trying and succeed, it’s the greatest feeling I can remember having.
‘I definitely know for sure that I couldn’t do what I do without the fans around the world, and here in UK. My father gave me my first helmet growing up in Stevenage, and the fans lifting me up.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.from Metro https://ift.tt/JukxHc8
via IFTTT
0 comments: