It’s that time again, the British Grand Prix is upon us with all the excitement and anticipation a race at Silverstone is sure to bring.
Home favourites George Russell and Lando Norris are both in fine form, taking race wins and pole positions during the first half of the 2024 campaign, with a dream of a first home triumph sure to be on their minds.
However, it was another driver who claimed their maiden British Grand Prix victory in-front of a rain-soaked Silverstone crowd, 16 years ago in 2008.
Leading up to the race
After cruelly losing out on the 2007 Formula One world championship in his rookie year, a young Lewis Hamilton was out with a vengeance the following season, but things weren’t going his way.
Coming into the 2008 British Grand Prix the McLaren driver was sat fourth place in the championship, trailing leader Felipe Massa by 10 points, which back then equalled a race win.
Hamilton had only finished first in two of the opening eight races, with Ferrari winning five times in that period, dominating the early part of the championship.
This meant that the odds were firmly stacked against the home hero as he entered the second Silverstone race of his career.
The two previous Grand Prix resulted in no scores for the then 23-year-old, after an infamous pit-lane crash with Kimi Raikkonen in Canada, followed by a drive-through-penalty and ten-place grid drop at the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.
Silverstone had also suffered poor times heading into the race, after the news that Donington Park had been awarded a ten-year contract to host the British Grand Prix from 2010, providing major renovations were completed.
With a big result needed for a turn around in the championship, Hamilton had to be on his A-game.
Race day
Qualifying saw a McLaren take pole, but it wasn’t Lewis Hamilton.
Heikki Kovalainen took his first Formula 1 pole position and was a half a second faster than second-placed Mark Webber, which was Red Bull Racing’s best qualifying result at that point.
Hamilton was fourth but ahead of championship leader Massa in ninth, with everything all to play for on race day.
On the Sunday morning the famous British rain fell, meaning all drivers had to start the Grand Prix on intermediate tyres.
Using all the skill and focus he had, Hamilton made up three-places off the line with a brilliant start, but saw his teammate re-pass him.
Multiple drivers spun on the opening tour of the circuit, including Webber and Massa, highlighting the tricky conditions the racers were dealt with.
The Brazilian quickly appeared to be seriously struggling with the wet weather, spinning for a second time on lap-three which saw the Ferrari drop to the bottom of the field.
Hamilton stayed on his teammate's gearbox up until lap five, where he passed Kovalainen into Stowe, and didn’t look back for the rest of the race.
Winning by 68 seconds from the BMW of Nick Heidfeld and lapping all drivers up to third, Hamilton enjoyed an invincible first home race win in-front an adoring British crowd, as he proved himself again to be a once in a generation talent.
Championship rival Massa would spin five times and finish 13th, the last of the runners who hadn’t retired from the Grand Prix.
The largest margin victory since the 1995 Australian Grand Prix had people backing the McLaren starlet to take his first championship after dominating his home race, embarrassing rival Massa on an afternoon where driver ability shone through.
The after-effect
A red-letter day in the 2008 world championship alongside the Singapore Grand Prix, the victory seemed to provide a swing in confidence between Hamilton and Massa.
The McLaren driver would win another two races on his way to a first world championship, taking the title in dramatic fashion at the final corner of the season.
Silverstone would retain the British Grand Prix after Donington Park couldn’t prove their financing, and Hamilton would take a further seven victories around the famous circuit, a Formula One record.
14 podiums at the track is also a record for the sport and as we approach his final Silverstone outing as a Mercedes driver, the seven-time world champion will be determined to add one more.
From 2008 to 2024, Lewis Hamilton and Silverstone is a recipe for success.
