An emotional Lewis Hamilton admitted he was unable to "stop crying” after prevailing at the British Grand Prix to end his two-and-a-half-year winless drought.
Hamilton took the chequered flag at Silverstone ahead of Max Verstappen to bag his 104th career victory in F1.
The Briton started from the first row of the grid alongside pole-sitter and team-mate George Russell, who eventually retired with a water pressure issue.
Mercedes vaulted Hamilton into the lead after pitting him one lap before Lando Norris when the track was transitioning from wet to dry.
From there, Hamilton fended off a surging Verstappen to secure his ninth win on home soil, another record for the most victories by a driver at one circuit.
“I can't stop crying,” Hamilton said. "Since 2021, every day, just getting up and trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team.
“This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with his team, so I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them. I appreciate them so much all the hard work they've been putting in all of these years.
“I'm forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes and all of our partners and otherwise, to all of our incredible fans, I could see you lap by lap as I was coming around.
“There's just no greater feeling as to finish at the front here.”
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Hamilton's win drought has come amid a slump back in the pecking order from Mercedes, who has largely struggled for performance under the current regulations.
Hamilton admitted there were points over the last two years when he doubted if he could return to his race-winning form again.
“I think the important thing is just how you continue to get up, you've got to continue to dig deep, even when you feel like you're at the bottom of the barrel,” Hamilton said.
“There's definitely been days between 2021 and here when I didn't feel like I was good enough or whether I was going to get back to where I am today.
“But the important thing is, I had great people around me, continuing to support me. My team, every time I turn up and see them putting in the effort, that really encouraged me to do the same thing.
“So a big big thank you to everybody back at the factory and everyone here. I love you guys.”
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