Why the British GP is vital to Hamilton's title bid

The British summer can go one of two ways. Roasting heat, clear blue skies and scorched grass. 
Or thick, leaden clouds, a cool breeze with a persistent threat of rain.

On the banks of Silverstone's daunting corners, the hardy perennials make their July pilgrimage come rain or shine. Some years they are pink and shirtless; other times, sodden - battling the elements underneath a plastic poncho.

Bedecked in red, white and blue with a cool box of warm tinnies, their eyes are focused on the ribbon of asphalt in the distance, waiting for a glimpse of their man: the silver arrow sporting a tint of fluorescent turquoise.

As the #44 machine races into view, their spirits lift. From the crowded spectator banks they watch him hustle his Mercedes around the majestic sweeps of Maggotts and Becketts - titanium skid block sparking as it hits the ground at 190mph.

Then gone in an instant, flat-chat down Hangar Straight - out of view, but still audible, on and off the throttle as he makes another tour of the windy former airfield.

Lewis Hamilton has become synonymous with the British Grand Prix.

For four consecutive years he was unbeatable at Silverstone, fuelled by the support of his fans. Twice, in 2015 and '17, he achieved the grand slam: pole, fastest lap and victory.

Aside from winning the world championship, a victory in a driver's home grand prix is the next best thing. Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, John Watson, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert and David Coulthard can all testify to that. Jim Clark won this race five times; Nigel Mansell on four occasions - and another at Brands Hatch in the 1985 European GP. 'Our Nige' even said he was "prepared to kill himself" for his home crowd.

With a calendar that criss-crosses the globe, the familiarity of a home race gives drivers an advantage over the opposition.

"You know the language, the food, the culture and the weather patterns," says Mansell. "It's where you did your grassroots racing and there's an immediate comfort zone."

Visiting Silverstone ahead of this year's grand prix, Lewis Hamilton stands in the Wing above the pits.

Over his shoulder, Turn 1 is now an eighth-gear, 186mph right-hander, but when Hamilton first came to this circuit, Abbey was a left-handed kink heading under the bridge that still takes traffic to the infield. He is here to reflect on past visits to the home of British motorsport.

"I remember coming to Silverstone and standing at the back of the McLaren garage," says Hamilton, "looking at the F1 cars on track and dreaming of one day racing here - and holding onto that dream for such a long time.
 It's very strange to think that now I have five grand prix wins here."

His grassroots learning came in Formula Renault (a winner in 2003) and in GP2, which first alerted the Silverstone crowd to his brilliance behind the wheel. Victory in both GP2 races in 2006 included an audacious three-wide pass on the inside of Maggotts - outmanoeuvring rivals Nelson Piquet Jr and Clivio Piccione. Silverstone had a new prince.

In his debut season in F1, in 2007, Hamilton took his third career pole position at the British GP with what he described at the time as a "lap out of nowhere".

Despite only finishing third, he came back the following year to take an emphatic victory in torrential rain - on a day when most of his competitors fell off the track. It remains one of his greatest wins and the moment he was crowned as British Grand Prix royalty, elevating him to the status of king of the Silverstone masses.

"My first win at Silverstone in F1 was in 2008, but the year before was incredible too," recalls Hamilton. "I remember the cheer I got for getting that pole. Whilst it's hard to hear the sound over the car, I could when I was off throttle and I could see all the fans celebrating.

"After not being able to win in the first year, I was so driven to bring it home for the fans the following year. It rained and qualifying was not so good for us - I was fourth on the grid, which was a bit of a downer.

"I chose a certain set-up for the car before practice, but it didn't work so well in the dry. Luckily it rained on the Sunday and I recall my brother Nicolas coming into my room and saying: 'don't worry, you've got this'. It was a great moment, as he gave me such a boost.

"I went out, had the best start [immediately up to second], had a couple of close moments trying to overtake my team-mate [Heikki Kovalainen] and from then on, I continued to lap at a crazy pace and outperformed my rivals. I lapped everyone up to third place."

As he gazes from the pit building towards the bridge in the distance, in his mind's eye Lewis is picturing the former layout.

By 2008 the kink at Abbey had been slowed into a left-right chicane, with a grandstand positioned on the outside of the corner.

On that wet July day, 11 years ago, most drivers approached the chicane backwards. Hamilton never pirouetted his McLaren, but did have his one and only 'off' as he nervously slithered across the grass.

"On the way through the old Abbey chicane, just before the bridge in the grandstand, everyone had umbrellas and ponchos on. I came through there and people were spinning off all the time. I made it through and saw the crowd stand up every single lap. That was the time I first felt a great connection to the British fans, and since then it's continued to grow every year."

The final laps, typically, were held in bright sunshine and Lewis was able to savour for the first time the joy of holding aloft the famous gold Royal Automobile Club trophy.

The prestigious cup was made in 1871, measures 64cm tall and is worth around £100,000. It carries the date and name of every British Grand Prix winner and was the trophy Hamilton asked for when he stood on the podium for his second win in 2014.

After six years of hard-charging antics, but in less competitive machinery, his return to the top step was an emotional occasion - and Lewis wanted to celebrate in style.

After first being presented with a bland award that represented the race's main sponsor, Hamilton wanted the honour of holding the true British GP trophy again. He called out on live TV, "Where's the gold one, man?"

Behind the scenes, the men in suits hurriedly brought the prestigious cup out from one of Silverstone's cupboards and Hamilton raised the 2.7kg award above his head. He even took it to his post-race press conference before it was returned under lock and key to British motorsport's governing body.

"That year was my second with Mercedes and the first with the new hybrid formula and I knew I had a car that could fight for the world title," Hamilton says. "The British Grand Prix that year was crazy because I had a bad qualifying session.

"It was raining on a certain part of the circuit and I remember starting the lap and I was a second down already in the first sector, so I thought there was no way I could beat my time.

"I backed off, only to find that other drivers had also been a second off but the last sector was dry and they managed to beat their times. I was distraught, I couldn't believe that I had given up because it's something which I never do. I was gutted that I had let myself down.

"I flew home to stay with my dad, my stepmum and my brother for the night. I was in my room and I think at the time had just got my dog, Coco. My dad was there and it was a touching moment between us when he just gave me that lift that I needed - which he has given me since I was a kid.

"I came back the next day, after a good home cooked meal, and knocked it out the park. I started sixth and built my way back up and was chasing down Nico [Rosberg]. I was 1000% going to get him - because I had to - because it's the British Grand Prix, but he had a gearbox failure before I could overtake him. But I still got my win..."

That victory in 2014 was the first of four consecutive victories for Hamilton at home, matching the feat of Jim Clark between 1962-65 (the Scot's wins came at Aintree, Silverstone, Brands Hatch and then again at Silverstone). But they haven't always been plain sailing.

The two Williams of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas tried to ruin the fairytale with a sensational start in 2015. A year later, the weather intervened with a torrential downpour that meant the race started behind the safety car. But both times, victory belonged to the Stevenage lad.

Two years ago, Hamilton was lambasted for not appearing at a live demo organised by F1 in central London, but he came to the track absolutely determined to put on a show - and the response of the crowd washed away all the criticism of the previous week.

The swell of support and size of the faithful is growing significantly as the victories keep on mounting.

Last year, in a summer swept up in patriotic fervour with England's football team doing well in the World Cup, Hamilton wanted to play his part in the national sporting pride.

He set a record sixth Silverstone pole with a sensational lap he described at the time as "one of the most pressurised I have ever had".

After beating Sebastian Vettel by just thousandths of a second, he leapt from his cockpit and knelt down next to his Mercedes - visibly shaking with adrenaline. "The lap was intense - it took everything out of me," he said. "It felt like one of the best laps I have ever produced." Once again, the crowd showed their appreciation and if it wasn't for first lap contact with Kimi Raikkonen, victory would have been assured.

"The support I have had from the British fans has grown every year," Lewis says. "I first went crowd surfing with them after I won in 2016 and I don't know what came into my mind when I decided to do that.

"I was trying to wave to everyone and I just leaped out. I've always wondered why crowds stand there when someone leaps off stage. If someone jumped off stage towards me, I would move out of the way and let them fall! So I was nervous that would happen to me. It didn't and it was a special moment."

The British GP sits in the middle of the season and Lewis admits the buzz he gets from winning his home race spurs him on for the rest of the year, enabling him to push on and get stronger as the pressure of the title race rises.

"I have a crazy amount of support and I'm forever grateful to the people that come and save up throughout the year and travel from all over the country to support me on that one weekend," Hamilton says.

"Even though it's worth the same amount of points as every other race - it is the most valuable one.

"It's almost like a healing weekend because of all the work you put in to be a world champion, then you come here and it gives you a spur to continue for the rest of the year."

Lewis takes one last look over the start/finish straight and remarks on what a great location it would be to spectate from. This weekend he will be on track, doing what he does best at this fortress of speed in front of his adoring fans.

His journey through the sport is forever entwined with this historic circuit. As it was during Mansell's day.

It's appropriate the track commands such high respect from the current drivers, as its high-speed challenge rewards the most skilful. "I'm super excited about this year's race and can't wait to see the great crowd," says Lewis.

Just one more victory - a sixth - will allow his name to stand apart from all others in the British Grand Prix record books.