Hamilton won on 3 tyres and a prayer

Silverstone, August 3

“Oh my God, I was just praying to get it round,” said Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton as he recounted how he won the British Grand Prix here yesterday on three tyres after suffering a puncture on the final lap. “I nearly didn’t do it, but thank God we did,” the six-time world champion added.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas saw his tyre deflate two laps before the finish and the same fate awaited the Brit on the final lap. The 35-year-old somehow managed to drag the car over the line, as sparks kept flying underneath his vehicle, just five seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Before the tyre mishap, Hamilton held a 32-second lead over Verstappen going into the final lap.

“Up until that last lap, everything was smooth sailing,” Hamilton said. “When I heard Valtteri’s tyre went I looked at mine and everything seemed fine. The car was still turning, and the last lap I started to back off and then the tyre deflated. It was definitely heart-in-the-mouth (moment). You could see the tyre was falling off the rim.”

After his record seventh win at Silverstone, Hamilton extended his lead at the top of drivers standings to 30 points. Hamilton’s teammate Bottas, meanwhile, failed to score as he finished 11th. — Agencies