Hamilton makes 'embarrassed' confession after ending F1 win drought

Lewis Hamilton has spoken about the embarrassment he felt during his 31-month winless streak in F1, which came to an end at the British Grand Prix.

The 104-time race winner had not taken victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the round prior to the contentious and controversial climax to his championship battle with Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.

With 2022 ushering in the contemporary ground-effects era of F1, Mercedes struggled to produce a race-winning car. Team-mate George Russell tasted victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix that year, but had to wait until Austria this season before a second win - the round preceding Hamilton's latest triumph.

In the wake of that win, the seven-time drivers' champion admitted the extent to which he had struggled mentally during his 945-day winless drought, something that was echoed by both team principal Toto Wolff and his father, Anthony Hamilton - who spoke about the Mercedes driver not wanting to disappoint people.

"I think through the times [between victories], there was definitely moments where you do feel like you let down people down, you feel sometimes embarrassed," the 39-year-old told media including RacingNews365 when asked about his father's remarks.

"And so to have that experience with those that have been on the road with me for a long time. It was also a real interesting experience for me, because so many of you [the media] have been here [in F1] this whole time I've been here."

Hamilton's victory at Silverstone was a popular win throughout the paddock and on social media, given the stark contrast between the British driver's run of winning a race in each of his first 15 seasons in F1 and the relatively meagre returns he has endured since.

It was his ninth British Grand Prix win and he is now just one podium finish short of 200 for his career, which began with a third-place finish at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.

With Hamilton moving on to Ferrari at the end of the season, there has been recent speculation over whether he has made the correct choice - the Italian team is suffering a downturn in form just as Mercedes appears to be on the up again. 

However, Hamilton is hopeful his win at Silverstone will set a marker for the next phase of his career.

"Many people growing up watching this in the past two decades - we've all been a part of that growing up life together," he acknowledged.

"So, I think a lot of people felt it, which is something I hadn't fully thought of or appreciated. It was a real good reminder of how much love and support there is there. And hopefully a reminder, to those who are on the journey with me, that I'm not done."