Sky Sports activities F1 rank Lewis Hamilton’s 10 greatest wins throughout his time at Mercedes, forward of his final race with the crew at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix…
10) Monaco GP 2019: Holding off a brand new rival
An emotional Hamilton gained for Mercedes and Niki Lauda on the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix
Max Verstappen emerged as Hamilton’s subsequent famous person rival and their 2019 head-to-head in Monaco stays considered one of their most intense race-long battles.
Verstappen was in Hamilton’s wing mirrors for almost all of the race – evoking Monte Carlo reminiscences of Ayrton Senna vs Nigel Mansell in 1992 – and Hamilton’s process was made all of the tougher by the actual fact Mercedes admitted to giving him the ‘unsuitable’ medium tyres, which their lead driver needed to make final for greater than 60 laps.
Verstappen tried with all his may, even making contact with the Mercedes when diving into the chicane with three laps to go, however Hamilton positioned his automotive to perfection always. Provided that his good buddy and mentor Niki Lauda had handed away earlier that week, Hamilton’s win was all of the extra spectacular.
9) Hungary 2013: The primary of many at Mercedes
Hamilton’s first win with Mercedes got here on the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix
Eyebrows had been raised when Hamilton swapped McLaren for what was a comparatively uncooked Mercedes outfit however, after Nico Rosberg proved the W04’s tempo with two victories main as much as Spherical 10 on the Hungaroring, Hamilton delivered his first for the Silver Arrows in model.
Defying pre-race expectations, hovering warmth and two world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton transformed pole into what was an unexpectedly crushing victory in Hungary. These dominant performances had been replicated repeatedly over the following decade.
8) Italian GP 2018: Breaking Ferrari hearts
Lewis Hamilton gained in entrance of Ferrari’s house crowd on the 2018 Italian Grand Prix
Hamilton overcame a Ferrari entrance row to land one other large punch towards title rival Vettel at Monza in 2018 with an excellent drive on, successfully, away soil.
He went across the exterior of Vettel on the second chicane, with the pair making contact and the Ferrari driver spinning.
Raikkonen could be a a lot more durable problem to cope with although as Hamilton overtook the Finn on an early Security Automobile restart, however misplaced the lead on the subsequent nook.
He spent the following 40 laps staring behind the flying Ferrari, which had unbelievable straight-line pace, earlier than making a terrific transfer into the primary nook with 9 laps to go – this time not giving up first place and holding onto the win.
7) Brazilian GP 2016: An unseen wet-weather masterclass
Considered one of Lewis Hamilton’s most underrated wins was the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
All of the speak in regards to the 2016 F1 race in Sao Paulo was about Verstappen’s gorgeous drive to 3rd as he got here again by means of the sector in heavy rain.
However, up entrance, Hamilton was in a league of his personal in a must-win race to maintain his championship hopes realistically alive towards Rosberg, who completed 11 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate.
Maybe not as well-known as his 2008 Silverstone victory for McLaren, however one other efficiency within the moist which went underneath the radar.
6) German GP 2018: A championship-defining comeback
The 2018 German Grand Prix was considered one of Hamilton’s most essential wins in F1
Hockenheim 2018 was definitely one of many extra exceptional days of Hamilton’s exceptional profession.
The Briton had misplaced title momentum to Vettel heading into the weekend – and his temper grew to become even worse when he suffered a disastrous qualifying failure which left him 14th on the grid. Hamilton had by no means gained from decrease than sixth.
However after storming by means of the sector, Hamilton then capitalised on the wet-dry situations to shut in on Vettel, earlier than his large rival beached his automotive into the gravel. It was an incredible win, and essential to Hamilton successful his fifth crown.
5) Bahrain GP 2021: Preventing off Verstappen in gorgeous season-opener
Lewis Hamilton managed to carry off the problem from Max Verstappen in a dramatic battle between the 2 within the 2021 season-opener
The primary race of the 2021 season set the tone for what was to come back. Verstappen began on pole however Hamilton undercut him and cheekily performed with the observe limits guidelines by operating extensive at Flip 4 in the course of the first half of the race, to realize lap time.
Verstappen had brisker tyres for the final stint and set about chasing down the Mercedes driver. With 5 laps to go, Verstappen went for it across the exterior at Flip 4 however overtook Hamilton off the observe.
He conceded the place later within the lap and Hamilton held him off in an epic season-opener.
4) British GP 2024: Ninth Silverstone win ends drought
Lewis Hamilton wins the British GP and is left emotional on the crew radio straight after
After dropping out to Verstappen in a merciless climax to the 2021 season, a change in rules noticed Hamilton’s Mercedes crew fall out of normal competition for race wins.
His team-mate George Russell had managed to grab a few victories, however Hamilton had gone 56 Grands Prix with out climbing to the highest step of the rostrum going into Silverstone 2024.
It was a race befitting the enormity of the victory to Hamilton, with a dry-wet-dry thriller ending with Verstappen chasing down the Mercedes within the closing laps.
Hamilton managed his tyres fantastically on the ultimate stint to carry on, claiming a ninth victory at Silverstone to interrupt the tie he shared with Michael Schumacher for essentially the most wins on the identical race.
3) Bahrain GP 2014: The duel within the desert
Hamilton beat Rosberg in an exciting battle on the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix
Even after only one race in 2014, it was abundantly clear that Mercedes had aced the brand new rules, and that Hamilton and Rosberg would nearly definitely be unique title challengers.
With that in thoughts, beating his team-mate in an epic race-long duel at Bahrain was all-important for Hamilton – not only for his second world title, however his Mercedes profession.
Time and time once more Rosberg handed Hamilton up the within, however time and time once more the latter responded, excelling when attacking and defending in wheel-to-wheel fight, significantly on the finish of the race when his team-mate had an enormous tyre benefit.
2) Turkish GP 2020: Tyre heroics to win seventh world title
Have a look again in the intervening time Lewis Hamilton claimed his seventh world title to equal Michael Schumacher’s file
Hamilton is thought for his spectacular tyre administration and the best proof he confirmed offered of this was in Istanbul 2020.
Caught in site visitors in damp situations, Hamilton pitted early for intermediates and was compelled to play the affected person sport as overtaking was troublesome.
Because the observe dried out, drivers forward of him pitted for brand new intermediates however Hamilton bravely stayed out, timing an overtake on Racing Level driver Sergio Perez completely then remarkably didn’t come into the pits for brand new rubber, not like most of his rivals.
He successfully turned his intermediates into slicks on the near-dry observe and gained by greater than half a minute to additionally equal Michael Schumacher’s file of seven world titles in superb trend.
1) Sao Paulo GP 2021: The comeback of all comebacks
Lewis Hamilton made an epic comeback on the 2021 Sao Paulo GP for Mercedes
Amid the depth of what would develop into the game’s most well-known title battle, between Hamilton and Verstappen, a DRS infringement in qualifying would go away Hamilton ranging from the again of the grid for Saturday’s Dash.
He would come fifth within the Dash however a five-place penalty for taking a brand new engine would see him begin the full-length race from tenth.
An excellent begin noticed Hamilton climb to fifth inside 5 laps, after which previous Verstappen’s Pink Bull team-mate Perez to go second on lap 19.
Overtaking Verstappen would show tougher as fierce defending from the Dutchman compelled Hamilton off observe at Flip 4, earlier than the Mercedes driver lastly obtained previous his rival within the closing phases to cut back his championship deficit.
Talking in 2023, Hamilton described the win as “essentially the most particular race” of his profession. When it comes to driving, one can find it arduous to call a greater efficiency throughout a weekend from a driver in F1 historical past.
Watch the ultimate race of the 2024 Components 1 season – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – stay this coming week on Sky Sports activities F1, with Sunday’s race at 1pm. Get Sky Sports activities F1 or stream with NOW
