Lewis Hamilton 'nervous to deliver' for Silverstone "roar"

British Grand Prix

Hamilton 'nervous to deliver' for Silverstone "roar"

Hamilton has won British GP more times than any other driver

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Friday 16 July 2021 05:00

Lewis Hamilton has described himself 'nervous' ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix where 140,000 fans will "roar" him on from the grandstands.

Silverstone will play host to the first capacity crowd seen at an F1 race since 2019 following more than 18 months of battling with Covid restrictions, with both of last year's grands prix - the British and 70th Anniversary - at the circuit staged behind closed doors.

Hamilton goes into the event as the most successful driver in the race's history, with seven wins to his name, including six in the last seven years of the turbo-hybrid era.

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Anticipating the buzz of being backed by the fans again on home soil, Hamilton said: “Ever since the first time I came and raced here in 2006, but particularly in Formula 1 in 2007, the roar of the crowd here is unlike anywhere else.

'So considering we’ve had a drought in terms of fans not being at the races in the past year, the energy has definitely been very much missed.

“You arrive with excitement but also with this kind of nervousness because you want to deliver for everyone and you want everyone to have the best weekend.”

Hamilton urges fans to stay safe

The easing of Covid restrictions and the positioning of the race on the UK government's Event Research Programme [ERP] has allowed for the return of fans.

With the number of people, however, testing positive for Covid-19 again rising, the seven-time champion has warned fans to stay safe whilst enjoying the action.

"Of course, I’m excited to see people," added Hamilton. "We just saw Wimbledon, I saw images of so many people together.

"But we do know the Covid rate has shot up in the UK so I would just continue to say to everyone, please wear your masks and try to enjoy your weekend.

“We’re still in this pandemic so we’ve just got to continuously remind people to take care.

“We want people to come and have a great weekend. It’s amazing that we’re going to see people but we want them to leave and go home and get on with their weekend and be healthy.”