“No one's had it as hard as Lewis Hamilton has over the past 2 or 3 years”: Oliver Bearman talks about Mercedes star’s ’inspiring’ Silverstone win

Oliver Bearman spoke about Lewis Hamilton's inspirational 2024 British GP win at Silverstone. The upcoming Haas F1 driver shed light on how emotional the victory was for Hamilton, and what it meant for him to take a victory after 945 days.

Back in 2021, Hamilton stood on the top step of the podium after winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah. Two and a half years later, he returned to do the same as he claimed his 104th GP win, and it was indeed an emotional one for him.

Right after getting down from the car, the Mercedes star went on to hug his father, Anthony Hamilton. Immediately after this, he hugged his mother, Carmen Larbalestier. Much like most F1 fanatics, Bearman witnessed these serene scenes from Silverstone. Speaking about this, Bearman said in the "High Performance" Podcast,

"No one's had it as hard as Lewis has over the past two or three years. You know it puts it into perspective, and you know the emotion he shared with his mum, with his dad, he took them on stage as well, this is what sport's about, right? I absolutely loved it," Bearman said (at 0:30).

After the heartbreak in Abu Dhabi in 2021, where he lost the much-awaited championship to Max Verstappen, the victory at Silverstone gave him a much-needed impetus for his future endeavors.

Talking about his struggles after 2021, Hamilton said (in the post-race conference),

"It’s so tough, I think for anyone. I think the important thing is just how you continue to get up, and you’ve got to continue to dig deep even when you feel like you’re at the bottom of the barrel."

The British GP victory helped Lewis Hamilton close the championship gap to his teammate, George Russell. Currently, Hamilton is at P8 of the Driver's Championship with 110 points, a point less than Russell, who is in P7 with 111 points after 12 races.

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What did the 2024 British GP win mean for Lewis Hamilton?

Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 07, 2024 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The win at Silverstone made Hamilton the oldest race winner in the 21st century. On the day of the victory, he was 39 years and 182 days old. Besides this, he also became the first driver with 300 Grand Prix starts to win a race, as well as the first driver to win a race in 16 different seasons.

With the victory, the Briton became the first driver to take nine wins at a single track (Silverstone). In doing so, he broke Michael Schumacher's long-standing record of eight wins at Magny-Cours, France.

Interestingly, it was also Hamilton's last race for Mercedes at this circuit, as he is set to bid goodbye to the Silver Arrows after 12 long years. Lewis Hamilton signed a multi-year deal in February this year to join the Scuderia in 2025.