Silverstone boss Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): “Drivers know it’s going to be a bit of a mad one”

The great Michael Schumacher once said: “Spa is my living room. So many wonderful things have happened there for me.” Schumi made his debut in Belgium in 1991, secured his first victory there with Benetton in 1992 and, over the years, put on some fabulous races at the historic circuit in the Ardennes.

But other superstars have their own ‘living rooms’ too, and Lewis Hamilton’s is Silverstone: The seven-time world champion has won nine times at this circuit – in 2008 with McLaren and then an incredible eight times with Mercedes, from 2014 to 2017, from 2019 to 2021, and in 2024.

Ahead of his home race, Hamilton says: “I reckon Silverstone suits Ferrari better than the Red Bull Ring. I also believe that Silverstone’s track characteristics will provide a more meaningful test of the balance of power than the circuit in Austria.”

“The fast British corners and high lateral G-forces will provide a more reliable picture of the potential of Mercedes, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari at lower temperatures.”

“It’s going to be a tricky challenge: lots of corners, few straights to build up speed. That might also mean our deficit is smaller than usual. And then, of course, I’m counting on the fabulous support of the British fans. The bond between the fans and me has been strong for twenty years. This is my 20th Formula 1 race here, and it’s phenomenal every single time. It’s a privilege for any British driver to race here.”

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“It’s hard to put into words what it means for a Brit like me to race here. I often look up at the grandstands here, and it takes my breath away every single time. I’ve never felt the fans’ support as added pressure, but only as extra motivation.”

“As for Ferrari, we lost four tenths on the straights in Austria. You can hardly make that up in the corners. Silverstone is more twisty, but we’ve got long straights here too. And all the drivers are having intense discussions about just how tricky energy management will be here. The layout doesn’t allow you to fully charge the battery, and I’m curious myself to see how that will affect the sport.”

“We used to fly straight through Copse; this time we’ll probably have to shift down there to recover energy. Maggotts and Becketts used to be breathtaking; now we’ll be coasting through them to save energy. That certainly won’t offer the same driving experience as in previous years.”

“My engineers have been pestering me about what I do differently here in England. We’ll only have one practice session, then it’s straight into the sprint qualifying – experience counts for something here.”