Lewis Hamilton sent sparks flying, literally, in his dramatic British Grand Prix victory after suffering a tire malfunction on the final lap at Silverstone Circuit.
It looked to be a fairly routine win for Hamilton, one of Formula One’s most decorated drivers, with a 32-second lead entering the final lap.
It became anything but, however, when the 35-year-old’s front left tire came apart.
With three tires remaining, Hamilton held on to take the checkered flag for Mercedes despite a late push from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished 5.856 seconds behind the Englishman.
Here’s what Hamilton had to say about the finish, which brought him a record-extending seventh British GP trophy:
“I just noticed the shape shift a little bit and that was definitely like a heart-in-the-mouth kind of feeling …
I nearly didn’t get round the last two corners but there you go, we did it and I really owe it to the team.”
Prior to the race, drivers wore shirts with “End Racism” written on them and a majority kneeled in front of an “End Racism” banner message.
Hamilton, the sport’s only Black driver, wore a “Black Lives Matter” shirt.
On the podium, Hamilton also raised a fist and bowed his head, as he did after winning the Styrian GP in Austria in June.
With his 87th career win in the books, Hamilton took another step toward Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins, as well as Schumacher’s record seven World Championships.
Currently atop the standings, Hamilton has six Championships to his name.
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