Nine days after George Russell’s victory in Austria, Toto Wolff promised Lewis Hamilton something. The head of Mercedes was determined that the seven-time Formula 1 champion would have the opportunity to win one more time before his lengthy tenure with the team ends. A week later, in front of an enthusiastic Silverstone audience, even he might not have expected to fulfill it. However, Hamilton had mastered his favorite circuit and had a fast enough car to win the British Grand Prix for the ninth time in history—his first victory in 945 days. Everyone on the squad will cherish the memories if it is his last gasp as a Mercedes driver.
However, 12 races remain in this season until Hamilton says goodbye to the Silver Arrows and starts a new chapter in his career with Ferrari. The 39-year-old says he is not regretting his decision to switch before the season even started, but he is hoping for more success before making the move.
When the season began, he stated: “We didn’t plan on going anywhere close to Red Bull in our car. The automobile has moved into a much more comfortable space, a huge improvement over the foundation from last year, and we’ve all really come together for this. Everyone has done such a terrific job. We have so aimed to leave on a good note rather than a low one.” Following his Northamptonshire victory, Hamilton said that he had moments of doubt about ever winning an F1 race again due to the length of time that had passed since his previous triumph. Team manager Wolff described how he and Hamilton had supported Mercedes throughout their prolonged absence from the running for such a title.
He declared: “We’ve been together for a very long time. We’ve all suffered in different ways. He’s always supported me, and lately I’ve attempted to help him with his occasional doubts. That’s why it feels so fantastic that he was able to set aside all of his bad ideas and emotions to create this performance. It seems to be a weight lifted off his shoulders.
Mercedes has been working to improve their vehicles for a while now, but they have had trouble catching up to their competitors’ performance. But Wolff is certain that the team has finally figured out how to make the W15 faster after witnessing their abrupt and significant advances in recent weeks. Additionally, he disclosed that more improvements will be made for the next races at Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest. It resonated as the Austrian said, “Considering that five races prior, we weren’t even in the running for the podium and it appeared to be the third year of no performance.
All that had seemed senseless became clear at that moment. and development directions are yielding results that resemble those of the past. Lap times are the result of our performance discoveries, which we apply to the vehicle.”