This day had been coming. The incremental gains made over recent grands prix were pointing, Mercedes thought, to a legitimate challenge in Hungary next week or the following race in Spa. Trust Lewis Hamilton to smash the performance arc and deliver one of the great sporting moments of any British summer.
The combination of a responsive car and variable conditions created the conditions for a guerrilla raid. All Hamilton needed was opportunity . McLaren’s pit stop misread towards the end of the race offered it, opening a window through which Hamilton raced, throwing he baggage of a desperate two and a half years over the side en route to the chequered flag.
Hamilton spoke of his relief and of the dark days that preceded it. In their private moments, he and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had spent many an hour processing failure, looking for ways not only to keep each other afloat, but to prevent the whole ship from going under. At times it felt like rounding Cape Horn.
In his post-race address Wolff shared a little about their friendship and how they leant on each other for support. “Our relationship goes back a long time. Each of us suffered at various stages.
He’s been there for me, and most recently I have tried to do my contribution when he was doubting at times. “That’s why it’s really good to put all the negativity aside and come up with this performance. It is a weight of his shoulders.
” Read Next Lewis Hamilton shows Lando Norris what it means to be a.
