Sky Sports F1 rank Lewis Hamilton’s top 10 wins during his time at Mercedes ahead of his final race with the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend…
10) Monaco GP 2019: Keeping up with a new rival
Emotional Hamilton wins 2019 Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes and Niki Lauda
Max Verstappen has emerged as Hamilton’s next superstar challenger and their 2019 Monaco battle remains one of their most intense race-long battles.
Verstappen was on Hamilton’s wing mirrors for most of the race, evoking Monte Carlo memories of Ayrton Senna v Nigel Mansell in 1992, and Hamilton’s problem was made more difficult as Mercedes admitted they had given him the “wrong” medium tyres the driver had to last more than 60 laps.
Verstappen tried his best, even making contact with the Mercedes when diving into the chicane three laps ago, but Hamilton always got his car to perfection, given that his good friend and mentor Niki Lauda had died earlier that week, Hamilton’s victory was all the more was impressive.
9) Hungary 2013: First of many for Mercedes
Hamilton’s first win with Mercedes came at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix
Eyebrows were raised when Hamilton replaced McLaren with a relatively raw Mercedes outfit, but after Nico Rosberg proved the W04’s pace with two wins leading up to round 10 at the Hungaroring, Hamilton made his debut for the Silver Arrows in style. :
Defying pre-race expectations, high heat and two world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton turned pole into a surprise landslide victory in Hungary.Those dominant performances were repeated many times over the next decade.
8) Italian GP 2018: breaking Ferrari hearts
Lewis Hamilton wins 2018 Italian Grand Prix in front of home crowd for Ferrari
Hamilton stormed past Ferrari’s front row and scored another big blow against title challenger Vettel at Monza 2018, driving superbly, effectively, on away soil.
He got around the outside of Vettel at the second chicane, the pair made contact and the Ferrari driver spun.
Raikkonen would have a much tougher task to overcome as Hamilton overtook the Finn on an early Safety Car restart but lost the lead at the next corner.
He spent the next 40 laps staring down the back of the flying Ferrari, which had incredible straight line speed, before making a great move into the first corner with nine laps to go, this time not relinquishing the lead and holding on for the win.
7) Brazil GP 2016: An Unseen Wet Weather Masterclass
One of Lewis Hamilton’s most underrated victories was the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix.
All the talk of the 2016 F1 race in Sao Paulo was about Verstappen’s stunning third-place finish as he made his way back through the field in pouring rain.
But, up front, Hamilton was in a league of his own, having to win the race to keep his championship hopes realistically alive against Rosberg, who was 11 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate.
Perhaps not as famous as his 2008 Silverstone win for McLaren, but another wet field performance that flew under the radar.
6) German GP 2018: Championship decisive return
The 2018 German Grand Prix was one of Hamilton’s most important victories in F1
Hockenheim 2018 was certainly one of the most remarkable days of Hamilton’s remarkable career.
The Briton had lost title momentum to Vettel heading into the weekend and his mood worsened when he suffered a disastrous qualifying failure that left him 14th.Hamilton has never finished lower than sixth.
But after storming through the field, Hamilton then used the wet-dry conditions to close in on Vettel before his great rival pitted his car in the gravel.It was a stunning victory and crucial to Hamilton’s fifth crown.
5) Bahrain GP 2021: Verstappen battle in shocking season opener
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton held off the challenge of Max Verstappen in a dramatic battle between the two at the 2021 season opener.
The first race of the 2021 season set the tone for what was to come. Verstappen started on pole, but Hamilton passed him and defiantly played with the track’s restrictions by running into turn four during the first half of the race to make up the lap time.
Verstappen had fresher tires for the final lap and started to chase down the Mercedes driver.With five laps to go, Verstappen spun out at turn four but overtook Hamilton on the track.
He dropped the position later in the lap and was held up by Hamilton in an epic season opener.
4) British GP 2024: Silverstone’s ninth win ends drought
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton wins the British GP and gets emotional on team radio immediately afterwards
After losing out to Verstappen in a brutal climax to the 2021 season, a regulation change saw Hamilton’s Mercedes team drop out of regular contention for race wins.
His team-mate George Russell had managed to pick up a couple of wins, but Hamilton went 56 Grands Prix without a top step on the podium heading into Silverstone 2024.
It was a race that enjoyed a huge margin of victory for Hamilton, with a dry-wet-dry thriller that ended with Verstappen chasing the Mercedes in the closing laps.
Hamilton managed his tires superbly in the final lap to hold on for a ninth victory at Silverstone, breaking the point he shared with Michael Schumacher for most wins at the same race.
3) Bahrain GP 2014: Duel in the desert
In 2014, Hamilton beat Rosberg in a thrilling battle at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Even after just one race in 2014, it was clear that Mercedes had complied with the new regulations and that Hamilton and Rosberg were almost certainly going to be exceptional rivals.
With that in mind, beating his team-mate in an epic race-long battle in Bahrain was crucial for Hamilton, not only for his second world title, but also for his Mercedes career.
Time after time, Rosberg passed Hamilton on the inside, but the latter responded time and again by attacking and defending in a wheel-to-wheel battle, especially towards the end of the race when his team-mate had a large tire advantage.
2) Turkish GP 2020: Tire heroics to win seventh world title
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Take a look back at the moment Lewis Hamilton won his seventh world title, equaling Michael Schumacher’s record
Hamilton is known for his impressive tire management and the biggest proof he showed of this was at Istanbul 2020.
In wet conditions in gridlocked traffic, Hamilton struggled for intermediates early on and had to play a patient game as overtaking proved difficult.
As the track dried, the drivers ahead of him battled for fresh intermediates, but Hamilton held on bravely, setting a great time from Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, then, unlike most of his rivals, not pitting for fresh tyres.
He effectively turned his midgets to a pulp on an almost dry track to win by more than half a minute and equal Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles in remarkable fashion.
1) Sao Paulo GP 2021: The return of all returns
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lewis Hamilton makes epic comeback for Mercedes at 2021 Sao Paulo GP
Amidst the intensity of the sport’s most famous title battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, a DRS breach in qualifying will leave Hamilton at the back of the grid for Saturday’s Sprint.
He will finish fifth in the Sprint, but a five-place penalty for getting a new engine will see him start the full-length race from 10th.
A blistering start saw Hamilton move up to fifth within five laps before passing Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Perez for second on lap 19.
Getting ahead of Verstappen would prove more difficult as fierce defending from the Dutchman forced Hamilton off the track at turn four before the Mercedes driver finally overtook his rival in the closing stages to reduce his championship deficit.
Speaking in 2023, Hamilton described the victory as “the most special race” of his career. When it comes to driving, you’d be hard-pressed to name a better weekend performance from any driver in F1 history.
Watch the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1 this coming week at 1pm on Sunday. Get Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW
