Sky Sports activities F1 rank Lewis Hamilton’s 10 finest wins throughout his time at Mercedes, forward of his final race with the workforce at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix…
10) Monaco GP 2019: Holding off a brand new rival
Max Verstappen emerged as Hamilton’s subsequent celebrity rival and their 2019 head-to-head in Monaco stays one among their most intense race-long battles.
Verstappen was in Hamilton’s wing mirrors for almost all of the race – evoking Monte Carlo recollections of Ayrton Senna vs Nigel Mansell in 1992 – and Hamilton’s activity was made all of the tougher by the actual fact Mercedes admitted to giving him the ‘fallacious’ medium tyres, which their lead driver needed to make final for greater than 60 laps.
Verstappen tried with all his would possibly, even making contact with the Mercedes when diving into the chicane with three laps to go, however Hamilton positioned his automotive to perfection always. On condition that his good pal and mentor Niki Lauda had handed away earlier that week, Hamilton’s win was all of the extra spectacular.
9) Hungary 2013: The primary of many at Mercedes
Eyebrows have been raised when Hamilton swapped McLaren for what was a comparatively uncooked Mercedes outfit however, after Nico Rosberg proved the W04’s tempo with two victories main as much as Spherical 10 on the Hungaroring, Hamilton delivered his first for the Silver Arrows in fashion.
Defying pre-race expectations, hovering warmth and two world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton transformed pole into what was an unexpectedly crushing victory in Hungary. These dominant performances have been replicated repeatedly over the subsequent decade.
8) Italian GP 2018: Breaking Ferrari hearts
Hamilton overcame a Ferrari entrance row to land one other massive punch in opposition to title rival Vettel at Monza in 2018 with an excellent drive on, successfully, away soil.
He went across the outdoors of Vettel on the second chicane, with the pair making contact and the Ferrari driver spinning.
Raikkonen could be a a lot more durable problem to cope with although as Hamilton overtook the Finn on an early Security Automotive restart, however misplaced the lead on the subsequent nook.
He spent the subsequent 40 laps staring behind the flying Ferrari, which had unimaginable straight-line pace, earlier than making an important transfer into the primary nook with 9 laps to go – this time not giving up first place and holding onto the win.
7) Brazilian GP 2016: An unseen wet-weather masterclass
All of the discuss concerning the 2016 F1 race in Sao Paulo was about Verstappen’s gorgeous drive to 3rd as he got here again by way of the sector in heavy rain.
However, up entrance, Hamilton was in a league of his personal in a must-win race to maintain his championship hopes realistically alive in opposition to Rosberg, who completed 11 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate.
Maybe not as well-known as his 2008 Silverstone victory for McLaren, however one other efficiency within the moist which went below the radar.
6) German GP 2018: A championship-defining comeback
Hockenheim 2018 was actually one of many extra outstanding days of Hamilton’s outstanding profession.
The Briton had misplaced title momentum to Vettel heading into the weekend – and his temper turned even worse when he suffered a disastrous qualifying failure which left him 14th on the grid. Hamilton had by no means received from decrease than sixth.
However after storming by way of the sector, Hamilton then capitalised on the wet-dry situations to shut in on Vettel, earlier than his massive rival beached his automotive into the gravel. It was a tremendous win, and essential to Hamilton successful his fifth crown.
5) Bahrain GP 2021: Preventing off Verstappen in gorgeous season-opener
The primary race of the 2021 season set the tone for what was to return. Verstappen began on pole however Hamilton undercut him and cheekily performed with the monitor limits guidelines by operating vast at Flip 4 in the course of the first half of the race, to realize lap time.
Verstappen had more energizing tyres for the final stint and set about chasing down the Mercedes driver. With 5 laps to go, Verstappen went for it across the outdoors at Flip 4 however overtook Hamilton off the monitor.
He conceded the place later within the lap and Hamilton held him off in an epic season-opener.
4) British GP 2024: Ninth Silverstone win ends drought
After shedding out to Verstappen in a merciless climax to the 2021 season, a change in rules noticed Hamilton’s Mercedes workforce fall out of standard competition for race wins.
His team-mate George Russell had managed to grab a few victories, however Hamilton had gone 56 Grands Prix with out climbing to the highest step of the rostrum going into Silverstone 2024.
It was a race befitting the enormity of the victory to Hamilton, with a dry-wet-dry thriller ending with Verstappen chasing down the Mercedes within the closing laps.
Hamilton managed his tyres fantastically on the ultimate stint to carry on, claiming a ninth victory at Silverstone to interrupt the tie he shared with Michael Schumacher for probably the most wins on the similar race.
3) Bahrain GP 2014: The duel within the desert
Even after only one race in 2014, it was abundantly clear that Mercedes had aced the brand new rules, and that Hamilton and Rosberg would virtually actually be unique title challengers.
With that in thoughts, beating his team-mate in an epic race-long duel at Bahrain was all-important for Hamilton – not only for his second world title, however his Mercedes profession.
Time and time once more Rosberg handed Hamilton up the within, however time and time once more the latter responded, excelling when attacking and defending in wheel-to-wheel fight, notably on the finish of the race when his team-mate had an enormous tyre benefit.
2) Turkish GP 2020: Tyre heroics to win seventh world title
Hamilton is thought for his spectacular tyre administration and the best proof he confirmed offered of this was in Istanbul 2020.
Caught in visitors in damp situations, Hamilton pitted early for intermediates and was compelled to play the affected person recreation as overtaking was tough.
Because the monitor dried out, drivers forward of him pitted for brand spanking new intermediates however Hamilton bravely stayed out, timing an overtake on Racing Level driver Sergio Perez completely then remarkably didn’t come into the pits for brand spanking new rubber, not like most of his rivals.
He successfully turned his intermediates into slicks on the near-dry monitor and received by greater than half a minute to additionally equal Michael Schumacher’s report of seven world titles in advantageous style.
1) Sao Paulo GP 2021: The comeback of all comebacks
Amid the depth of what would grow to be the game’s most well-known title battle, between Hamilton and Verstappen, a DRS infringement in qualifying would depart Hamilton ranging from the again of the grid for Saturday’s Dash.
He would come fifth within the Dash however a five-place penalty for taking a brand new engine would see him begin the full-length race from tenth.
A superb begin noticed Hamilton climb to fifth inside 5 laps, after which previous Verstappen’s Crimson Bull team-mate Perez to go second on lap 19.
Overtaking Verstappen would show tougher as fierce defending from the Dutchman compelled Hamilton off monitor at Flip 4, earlier than the Mercedes driver lastly acquired previous his rival within the closing phases to scale back his championship deficit.
Talking in 2023, Hamilton described the win as “the most special race” of his profession. When it comes to driving, you can find it onerous to call a greater efficiency throughout a weekend from a driver in F1 historical past.
Watch the ultimate race of the 2024 Components 1 season – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – dwell this coming week on Sky Sports activities F1, with Sunday’s race at 1pm. Get Sky Sports activities F1 or stream with NOW