Lewis Hamilton hailed as F1 GOAT by former rival Sebastian Vettel after Silverstone victory

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Britain, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton hailed as F1 GOAT by former rival after Silverstone victory

The Brit's former championship rival made a strong claim after Hamilton's incredible win at Silverstone

Tyler Rowlinson

Wednesday 10 July 2024 05:00

Lewis Hamilton's record-breaking victory at the British Grand Prix has earned respect from a former F1 rival who hailed the champion as the greatest of all time.

The final laps at Silverstone were tense with Hamilton managing to hold off a resurgent Max Verstappen, to take a ninth win at his home circuit.

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It is the first time Hamilton has taken victory since 2021 in Saudi Arabia, with the Mercedes driver being left in tears following the win at his home Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion becomes the sixth different winner in 12 races in 2024, and his latest win sees him break the record for the most wins by a driver at a single circuit.

Lewis Hamilton won his first race in 945 days at Silverstone

The Brit held off Max Verstappen to become the sixth different winner in 2024

Vettel labels Hamilton the GOAT

The topic of who is the greatest F1 driver of all time is something that sparks intense debate, with Hamilton being mentioned along with the likes of other greats such as Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

But after the win at Silverstone, it was the soon-to-be Ferrari driver that was given the title of F1’s ‘GOAT’ by none other than four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

Posting on his Instagram story shortly after the race, the German shared a heartfelt message to his former championship rival with the words: “Goat. Congrats Lewis”, over a picture of Hamilton holding up the Union Jack as he stepped out of his car.

The 37-year-old had been a fierce competitor with Hamilton during his F1 career as he battled the Brit for world titles while at Red Bull and Ferrari.

Vettel moved to Aston Martin in 2021 and retired from the sport a year later after four championship wins and 53 total career victories.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Michael Schumacher British Grand Prix Ayrton Senna