An
emotional
and
reflective
Lewis
Hamilton
opened
up
on
what
it
meant
to
finally
win
again
in
Formula
1
at
the
British
Grand
Prix
–
admitting
there
had
been
times
since
the
controversial
conclusion
to
the
2021
season
when
he
had
“wanted
not
to
continue”
in
the
sport.
Hamilton
was
brought
to
tears
at
the
end
of
Sunday’s
enthralling
wet-dry
Silverstone
race
after
a
stirring
and
historic
drive
brought
up
a
record
ninth
victory
at
a
single
Grand
Prix.
Although
it
also
represented
Hamilton’s
record-extending
104th
win
in
F1,
it
was
the
39-year-old’s
first
for
57
races
in
a
drought
that
stretched
back
to
the
Saudi
Arabian
GP
of
December
2021,
the
race
before
that
season’s
infamous
finale
in
Abu
Dhabi
when
he
missed
out
on
a
unique
eighth
world
title
and
Max
Verstappen
won
his
first.
Hamilton
has
rarely
even
been
in
contention
for
victories
since
then
with
Mercedes
falling
from
the
sport’s
summit
in
the
wake
of
new
regulations
introduced
from
2022.
The
two
races
that
the
team
had
won
in
that
time
were
claimed
by
George
Russell,
most
recently
last
week
in
Austria.
Having
cried
on
team
radio
after
taking
the
chequered
flag,
Hamilton
told
Sky
Sports
F1:
“It’s
surreal.
My
heart
is
racing.
“I
had
so
many
amazing
times
here
in
the
past
but
when
I
came
across
the
line,
something
released
in
me
that
I
have
been
holding
onto
for
a
long
time.
“It
was
the
most
emotional
end
to
a
win
I
have
ever
experienced.
I
always
wondered
why
I
never
cried!
You
see
Rubens
Barrichello
crying
and
I
was
like
‘that
doesn’t
happen
to
me’
but
it
hit
me
hard.
“After
such
a
difficult
2021,
just
trying
to
continue
to
come
back
but
we
as
a
team
had
a
difficult
time.
“There
were
so
many
thoughts
and
doubts
in
my
mind
along
the
way
to
the
point,
at
times,
I
wanted
to
not
continue.
“To
arrive
and
continue
to
get
up
and
continue
to
try
and
finally
succeed
is
the
greatest
feeling
I
can
remember
having.”
Speaking
in
the
immediate
aftermath
of
the
race
as
he
took
the
acclaim
of
the
164,000-strong
race-day
crowd,
Hamilton
said
there
had
been
periods
during
his
time
away
from
the
podium’s
top
step
when
he
questioned
whether
he
was
both
still
“good
enough”
and
if
he
would
ever
get
back
to
winning
ways.
“It’s
so
tough,
I
think
for
anyone,
but
the
important
thing
is
just
how
you
continue
to
get
up
and
you’ve
got
to
continue
to
dig
deep
even
when
you
feel
like
you’re
at
the
bottom
of
the
barrel,”
he
said.
“There
have
definitely
been
days
between
2021
and
here
where
I
didn’t
feel
like
I
was
good
enough
or
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
tine
I
turned
up
and
saw
them
putting
in
the
effort,
that
really
encouraged
me
to
do
the
same
thing.
“Otherwise,
my
fans,
when
I
see
them
around
the
world,
they
have
been
so
supportive.
So
a
big,
big
thank
you
to
everybody.”
Hamilton
on
the
‘glimpse
of
hope’
that
keeps
fire
burning
Hamilton,
who
decided
at
the
start
of
the
year
he
will
continue
in
F1
until
at
least
the
end
of
2026
by
signing
an
unexpected
and
blockbuster
deal
with
Ferrari,
was
given
a
Union
Jack
flag
from
a
marshal
on
his
slow-down
lap
at
the
end
of
the
race
and
celebrated
with
it
in
front
of
the
Silverstone
crowd
when
he
got
out
of
his
Mercedes
at
the
end
of
the
race.
He
also
shared
embraces
in
parc
ferme
with
his
mother,
Carmen,
and
his
father,
Anthony
who
were
both
at
Silverstone
to
see
their
son’s
return
to
success.
On
the
huge
support
he
receives
from
fans,
Hamilton
said:
“I
definitely
know
for
sure
that
I
couldn’t
do
what
I
do
without
the
fans
I
have.
The
people
I
interact
with
and
meet
around
the
world,
particularly
here
in
the
UK.
“I
grew
up
in
Stevenage.
My
dad
came
around
the
corner
to
give
me
my
first
helmet.
“I
always
thought
my
parents
would
be
my
only
followers.
It’s
very
incredible
to
have
that
support
because
that
really
does
lift
you
up
when
you
see
people.
“They
are
so
generous
with
gifting
you
something
or
just
pumping
out
positive
energy.
“That’s
one
thing
that
keeps
me
going.
And
the
other
is
just
that
glimpse
of
hope.
“Even
if
it’s
the
tiniest
spec,
I
just
try
to
not
ignore
that
and
continue
to
focus
on
my
inner
peace
day
by
day.”
Hamilton,
who
has
the
motto
‘still
I
rise’
tattooed
on
his
back,
added:
“Never
give
up.
It’s
so
important.
It’s
the
easiest
thing
to
do
but
you
should
never
do
it.”
Explore
the
world
of
impactful
news
with
CitiNewsroom
on
WhatsApp!
Click
on
the
link
to
join
the
Citi
Newsroom
channel
for
curated,
meaningful
stories
tailored
just
for
YOU:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No
spams,
just
the
stories
that
truly
matter!
#StayInformed
#CitiNewsroom
#CNRDigital