Lewis Hamilton cries in dad's arms after emotional British Grand Prix victory for record ninth time
Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the ninth time
REUTERS
Lewis Hamilton couldn't hold back the tears after crossing the line to win a record ninth British Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 39-year-old has had to wait three years to cross the finish line in first and he was full of emotions after breaking that run at his home Grand Prix.
A tearful Hamilton said 'I love you Bono' on team radio as he slowly drove around the Silverstone circuit.
He jumped into the arms of his Mercedes crew as soon as he got out of the car and ran over to the crowd to celebrate, holding the Union Jack flag aloft.
Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the ninth time
REUTERS
There was a touching moment as well when Hamilton and his father, Anthony, shared a warm embrace with the F1 superstar in floods of tears.
It's been a trying few years for Hamilton with Mercedes struggling to get back on top of the sport.
But the Silver Arrows have managed to find something in recent months to push them back fighting at the front of the grid once again.
George Russell took advantage of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen's error last week to win in Austria.
And the Mercedes team took that momentum into the British Grand Prix as they locked out the front row in qualifying ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Russell managed to stay ahead of Hamilton at the start of the race, but the seven-time world champion briefly took the lead when the rain came.
Norris then stole the lead away from his compatriot just a few laps later as the McLaren appeared to fair better in the tricky conditions.
The McLaren star was initially in control of the race after the first set of pit stops, but Russell was the one who was punished the most from the change of tyres.
He dropped down to fourth and behind Verstappen before having to retire from the race due to a suspected water issue on his car.
That left Hamilton as the sole Mercedes driver pushing for the win with the track drying out and drivers coming in for one final pit stop.
Lewis Hamilton's last F1 race win came back in 2021
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Hamilton gambled early by pitting for the soft tyre with Verstappen also closing before Norris came in the following lap.
The 24-year-old left it too late it seemed though as Hamilton pumped in a stellar lap that saw him gain the lead with just 12 laps remaining.
Verstappen was the quickest man on track and he was gaining on both drivers before he eventually got past Norris on lap 48.
The Dutchman was just over three seconds behind Hamilton with five laps remaining, but the Mercedes driver did enough to keep his old rival at bay.
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Lewis Hamilton fought back the tears on the podium
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Hamilton crossed the line for his record-extending 104th F1 win and his first at his home race in three years.
Speaking after the race, an emotional Hamilton said: "Since 2021, every day I'm getting up and fighting to train to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team.
"This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team. I wanted to win this so much for them because I love them and appreciate them so much.
"All the hard work they put in over these years. I'm forever grateful to everyone at Mercedes and all our partners.
"And to all our incredible fans. I could see you lap by lap. There's no greater feeling to finish at the front here."