Lewis Hamilton explains F1 feat ONLY the Silverstone crowd has achieved

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton explains F1 feat ONLY the Silverstone crowd has achieved

Lewis Hamilton has long been an admirer of the British Grand Prix, making his adoration for the circuit and the crowd known

Harry Smith

Thursday 6 July 2023 18:57 Updated: 19:36

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Lewis Hamilton has claimed that the Silverstone crowd are the only crowd he has ever heard from inside the cockpit during a race ahead of his return to the legendary circuit.

The British driver is yet to take victory in a grand prix since the 2022 regulations came into play but will hope to give his home crowd a podium to celebrate when the chequered flag waves on Sunday.

Mercedes are currently locked into an intense battle for P2 in the constructor standings with Aston Martin and Ferrari, while McLaren’s recent upgrades make them a threat this weekend also.

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With an all-British line-up, Mercedes will be extra hopeful of a strong weekend, although a difficult outing in Austria will be cause for concern as Hamilton and team-mate George Russell battle Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren for a podium berth.

Silverstone crowd magic

Hamilton spoke to media, including GPFans, ahead of the British Grand Prix, explaining: “Coming here for my first ever Formula Renault [race] and 2007 when I got the pole, I think that's probably the only time I've ever heard the crowd over the sound of the car.

“So that's pretty special.”

The British driver then explained what the crowd can offer to the whole Mercedes team during a race weekend at Silverstone.

Hamilton will be looking to bounce back from his Austria struggles this weekend

“I think it’s hard to quantify,” Hamilton said when asked how much the crowd is worth in terms of lap time.

“I think overall the crowd just lifts you and the whole team up and there’s this kind of feeling of floating - when you come here - on that positive energy that everyone brings.

“Just seeing so many of the flags and so many of the caps and people supporting us, it really just helps on the outside of Abbey [corner].”