Lewis Hamilton admitted he “can’t stop crying” after a stunning victory at the British Grand Prix.
A ninth win at Silverstone, a record for the most wins at a single circuit in the sport, came on a rainy, action-packed day of racing.
And the Mercedes superstar, who will join Ferrari next season, could be heard sobbing over the radio after crossing the finish line.
“I can’t stop crying,” Lewis Hamilton said, after holding off Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Hamilton set a new F1 record by winning his ninth British Grand Prix, breaking a tie with Michael Schumacher on eight victories.
“Since 2021, every day, getting up to fight and train, put my mind to the task with this amazing team, my last race here with this team, I love them, to win for them, putting in those years, I’m forever grateful,” Hamilton added.
“To our incredible fans, I can see you every lap, there’s no greater feeling to win here.
“It’s so tough, the important thing is to continue to get up, dig deep when you’re at the bottom of the barrel. Days since 2021 when I thought I wasn’t good enough or could get back to today, but I had a great team, I saw them put the effort in.
“I see my fans around the world, they’re so supportive. I love you guys!”
While Toto Wolff revealed his delight at a “fairytale” finish for Mercedes and the story of Hamilton at his home Grand Prix.
“Fantastic, you couldn’t written it for our farewell at British Grand Prix, after 12 years,” said Toto Wolff.
“We had some more difficult times recently, faultless driving though, in those conditions. I enjoy us bouncing back, we were one and two in the dry, we’re coming back.
“He [Bono – Peter Bonnington] is a great personality and beyond an engineer. George has been coming so strong, a shame to have a DNF.”