Mercedes-Benz

LEWIS HAMILTON kept his cool in remarkable fashion as he drove to victory in the British Grand Prix on three wheels.
Footage from on-board the world championship leader’s car shows the moment his front-left tyre burst on the final lap.

He’s had some pretty hair-raising final laps in his career… 🤯Jump onboard as @LewisHamilton uses every ounce of skill to bring his three-wheeled Mercedes home for the win#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 3, 2020

Hamilton’s car is, at first, a picture of tranquility around the empty Silverstone while others fell away in the demanding race.
Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and McLaren’s Carlos Sainz both experienced late punctures, prompting a message of calm coming over the Brit’s radio.
Engineer Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington tells Hamilton: “Please don’t go for the fastest lap, we just need to get the car home. Tyre integrity is the predominant thing.”
The driver confirms the message before the news of Bottas’ nightmare, dropping the Finn from second to 11th, is relayed to him.

As Hamilton pulls around Luffield, his front-left bursts and he checks in: “Think something has happened to my left tyre also.”
From then on, the six-time world champ is fully concentrated as he masterfully guides the car home while Bono keeps him updated on Max Verstappen’s pursuit.

That is the most dramatic ending to a race I remember having.
Lewis Hamilton

Having overtaken Bottas, the Red Bull ace pitted and found himself having to close a gap of over 30 seconds in just half a lap.
Crossing the line with just 5.8 seconds spare, Hamilton didn’t spot the chequered flag and quickly asked to confirm his victory.

A jubilant Bono replies: “That’s it mate, you’ve done it! You’ve done it!”
Such is Hamilton’s confidence in piloting the F1 three-wheeler, he decides against Bono’s calls to stop the car on track and gently rides back to the pits.
The victory bumped the Mercedes man’s lead at the top of the championship up to a healthy 30 points.
He said afterwards: “That is the most dramatic ending to a race I remember having.

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Lewis Hamilton manages to control the car with Max Verstappen encroaching

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The Dutchman was only seconds away as Hamilton edged round the final corner
“It was heated, a real challenge. I was super cool during the whole experience.
“I guess it hadn’t really sunk in, then afterwards it started to dawn on me what I had just faced so I had a delayed reaction.
“There was the race in Formula Renault where the rear suspension had snapped, I remember driving through the corners with one wheel in the air.
“I still managed to win just, I don’t know how. It was similar today but it was much more extreme.”

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Lewis Hamilton peered inside his shredded tyre after the winCredit: Reuters

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The Mercedes star described the race as the “most dramatic” finish he had ever hadCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Meanwhile, the recriminations have begun at Pirelli with three cars experiencing failures late in the race.
The tyre manufacturer has vowed to investigate with most teams pitting for the hard tyres on lap 12 after Daniil Kvyat’s crash – slightly earlier than expected for optimum strategy.
Pirelli’s F1 boss Mario Isola pondered: “It could be high wear, because for sure tyres with 38 laps or more on this circuit are quite worn, but I’m not saying that the wear is the cause of the issue.
“It can be debris, because we had the pieces of the front wing of Kimi that were on track, but also some other debris.”

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LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed that he has gone electric with a newfound love of Smart cars.
The Formula One world champion has taken up an increasingly green mantra in recent years despite previously thinking he would always remain a petrolhead.

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Lewis Hamilton has gone electric while not racing his F1 carCredit: Getty – Pool

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The Mercedes star criticised F1 for its Hungarian GP anti-racism display and wants a more diverse sport in the futureCredit: AP:Associated Press
In discussion with his championship-winning team Mercedes, the Brit opened up on why he changed his mind.
And Hamilton also named his ideal passenger in the Q&A and spoke on his hopes for more diversity in F1.
If you weren’t a Formula One driver, what would you be instead?
It’s a difficult one. Probably… in a band.

What instrument?
Guitar.
Many people talk about sustainability these days. What does it mean to you?
Sustainability is the future. And it’s the only way that we’re going to be able to save this planet. So it is something that people need to get their minds around, that people need to embrace – companies particularly – but also each of us individually, in our household and in our daily lives.

What gives you hope about the world today?
People. Ultimately, everyone has their own opinion and there are those that are less willing to change. And then I see a lot more positivity out there of people willing to change their mindsets.
Electric cars or petrol cars?
That’s a good question. I was growing up in the petrol era. I’d been one of those people who were kind of thinking ‘I’m never going to drive an electric car’.

And now I have the EQC and I have an electric Smart car, which I love and I only drive those cars now. All of us have to make adjustments in our mind. I’ve just been more open minded and now I love it so much, that I’m changing all my cars to electric. And the great thing is it has a positive impact on the environment.
You’re going on a five-hour drive. Who do you want in the passenger seat?
Roscoe.
That’s your dog, right? Sounds relaxed. Speaking of that: How can you best relax?
I think I’m most relaxed when I’ve got my feet up, got Roscoe next to me. Watching TV, watching a movie with some sort of sweets. [Laughs.] Actually probably even more so is being around family. Not even having to talk, but just being around family. That for me is super relaxing.
You like social media because….
It’s the bridge between my fans and I.
What was your first thought when you saw the new all-black livery for the Silver Arrows?
I’m just so proud of my team for being open-minded, for shifting. Ultimately, we all have to get out of the way of ourselves in order to allow change.
How do you picture Formula One ten years from now?
It will hopefully be much more inclusive, a much more diverse sight for people when they’re watching. When young kids can watch, no matter what their background is and say ‘I can get there, because there is someone that looks like me there.
It seems to be very, very open and obviously the sport is supportive of inclusion and diversity’. So I am hoping to see a lot more women involved, I am hoping to see more people of color.

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Hamilton is often accompanied by his dog RoscoeCredit: BVA

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Smart cars, owned by Mercedes, are Hamilton’s choice for electric motoring

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What makes you laugh?
Comedies, Eddie Murphy… I love watching movies. Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell. My uncle Terry. My brother. I think they are probably the people that make me laugh the most.
And what frightens you?
Spiders. Tarantulas. The thought of a tarantula. I couldn’t get near one of them. No.
What does “winning” mean to you?
Winning is a kind of validation for all the hard work you put in.

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