The 10-year Silverstone record Hamilton is seeking to defend in 2024

It’s hard to describe Lewis Hamilton’s start to 2024, although ‘inauspicious’ might cover it best. With a highest finish of sixth after the first eight races of the season it was, in some quarters, termed as the highly decorated Briton’s worst start to a Formula 1 season. One that even surpassed the nadir of 2009’s opening rounds.

But the tide is turning, as Mercedes has started to get on terms with the demands of its W15 package. A decision to dispense with the previous philosophy exhibited by the W13 and W14 was lauded, given the team’s dramatic downturn in fortunes, but there were still very clear weaknesses in the new car that had to be addressed, particularly with mid-corner balance and stability.

Now that the team seems to be – tentatively – in the ascendancy once again, Hamilton has benefited and has been imbued with a greater level of confidence as the Silver Arrows take a step forward. He might be leaving for Ferrari at the end of the year, but he still harbours a desire to leave the team on a high. It would be befitting of his seven titles, won either at Mercedes or with Mercedes power at McLaren, for the good times to start rolling again.

“The biggest improvement I think coming into this year has been ride quality and being able to get the car lower, which is what others have been able to do,” explains Hamilton in his assessment of the W15. “And then stability on entry of corners. The car is far more predictable than it ever was, particularly the last couple of years. And particularly this year, it’s a lot more stable, so we can be more committed into the corners.”

Hamilton’s record at his home grand prix is stellar: the last time he failed to finish on the podium was in 2013, the start of his journey with the works Mercedes team. Since then, he’s won seven times at Silverstone, been second on two occasions (one being 2020’s 70th Anniversary GP in the COVID-enforced double), and twice finished third. Finishing on the podium has to be considered the bare minimum and, now that the W15 seems to be in much better shape, it looks like a more reasonable ambition compared to where the team was at the start of the year.

“I have to say, I think the car will definitely feel a lot better this year, the direction that the car is migrating to, better characteristics through the range,” says Hamilton of his chances ahead of the British GP. “We’re much better compared to Red Bull, and soon we’ll hopefully be closer to the front end.”

Hamilton has been ever-present on the British GP podium for a decade

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro

Could a victory be in the offing? It’s unlikely, especially as Red Bull seems to be strong even in races where the car isn’t thriving at its absolute peak, and McLaren has grown in strength dramatically over the past 18 months. But Mercedes had, by most accounts, the quickest car in Canada last month, and continued development has started to push it towards the front. Qualifying remains a weakness, as that mid-corner balance places it in a precarious position in an all-or-nothing lap, and the cars seem to come into their own a bit more in race trim.

However, a win is not impossible, as George Russell showed last weekend. If there’s a chance that Mercedes finds stability across Silverstone’s plethora of long-radius corners, with a view towards contending for pole, then it has the drivers to make the magic happen. Hamilton knows what it takes to win the British GP, rain or shine. Remember 2008 in the pouring rain? Perfection. Or 2020 with a cut tyre? Pure theatre. Or 2021, post-Max Verstappen crash? Not even a penalty could stop him in his tracks.

PLUS: How Russell became the Austrian GP hero as Verstappen and Norris came to blows

"The car is far more predictable than it ever was, particularly the last couple of years. And particularly this year, it’s a lot more stable, so we can be more committed into the corners" Lewis Hamilton

It’s all going to hinge on how Mercedes keeps pace in the development stakes and how it sets up for the demands of Silverstone. Its performance at Barcelona suggests that it should be in the mix, although maybe not quite on terms with Verstappen and Norris. The dynamic might be similar to last year, then, where Hamilton jumped a few cars in the stops to get onto Norris’s gearbox with soft tyres. Although the pressure he meted out on Norris didn’t offer an upgrade to second, Hamilton should get that opportunity again if he plays his cards right.

“I mean, it’s an incredible event,” Hamilton adds. “If you take it from a bird’s eye view, the whole event is full; all the space is used up. So many fans come and have a great weekend.” And, after the season he’s had so far, he’ll want to put on a show.

And it might be the last time – for a couple of years, at least – that Silverstone is decked out primarily in Mercedes colours. When Hamilton makes his long-awaited Ferrari move, expect it to evoke Monza’s tifosi fervour as fans trade their black-and-white clobber for scarlet…

After this weekend, Hamilton's next Silverstone visit will be in the scarlet red of Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images