Hamilton: 'My heart almost stopped'

If the pilots of Moto GP are used to crossing the line as winners on one wheel, it is much rarer to see drivers of Formula 1 finish on three wheels. Lewis Hamilton did it, but quite unintentionally. Alone in the world during the entire British Grand Prix, the driver Mercedes was on track to easily achieve his seventh success at Silverstone.

But everything came to a head in the last two laps. His teammate Valtteri Bottas punctured first and had to return to the pits to finally finish eleventh.

A dramatic final minute at Silverstone, as @LewisHamilton and his Mercedes hold on for a famous victory! #BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/CmD8hrz2Fw

- Formula 1 (@ F1) August 2

The rest, let Hamilton tell it. “Until this last lap everything was calm, everything was going well in terms of tire management. When I heard that Valtteri's tire was failing, I looked at mine, it seemed okay. I still relaxed the pace in the last laps. »

He keeps on : “Then I saw that the shape of the tire was changing, it shocked me and in the end I couldn't hit the brakes anymore, I just tried to bring the car back like that. I was afraid of breaking the wing, but I managed to turn. I almost lost control in the last two corners but I got there. »

Surprisingly, Hamilton indicated that he did not keep his eyes glued to his mirrors on the final lap. “ I was pretty calm, my engineer kept me informed. But I’ve never experienced a situation like this, that’s for sure. My heart almost stopped. »

Lewis Hamilton had the merit of opening up a sufficient gap with his pursuers. But he experienced the bit of success that has characterized him since his victorious years. He punctured after Bottas, just in time for Max Verstappen don't put it back up.  

With this seventh success in his English garden, he puts a 25-0 to his only opponent of the season, Valtteri Bottas. He now has a thirty-point lead in the championship.

Find in issue 2272 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, the analysis of the British GP by our special correspondent.