Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday despite suffering a puncture on his last lap.
The British driver’s left-front tyre failed halfway through the final lap, but he still managed to finish ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who came second.
His Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas also experienced a puncture which saw him drop from second to 11th place, which made room for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to finish in third place.
This was Hamilton’s third consecutive win of the season and brings him one step closer to achieving Michael Schumacher's record of seven championship titles.
That last lap almost had me 😅 We still got this 🏆🏁 I can’t express how grateful I am to all the fans, and to my incredible team. To think this is the 7th home win is just insane. Thanks for the positive energy everyone, we did this together. #BritishGP #TeamLH #StillWeRise @F1 pic.twitter.com/PyAPZ6SZrI
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) August 2, 2020
"I've definitely never experienced anything like that on the last lap, my heart nearly stopped," said Hamilton after the race.
"I was just praying to get around and not be too slow. I nearly didn't get around the last few corners."
Lewis Hamilton's victory at Silverstone on Sunday was the 87th of his Formula One career. It was a record 7th British Grand Prix win and he's now 4 triumphs short of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91.
— Mninawa Ntloko (@ntlokom) August 2, 2020
Verstappen said, "It was lucky and unlucky. The Mercedes were too quick. The tyres didn't look great with 10 laps to go, so I was already on the radio ... then of course they boxed me to go for the fastest lap. I'm very happy with second place, it's a very good result for us."
Fans expressed their excitement on social media over the dramatic win.
One fan said “You can’t take that win away from Lewis.”
Can't take that win away from Lewis. 88 wins now, only 3 off Schumi. I never thought after seeing Schumacher dominate for so long, that a Brit would be the one to beat him. How wrong I could be!! Whatever you say about Lewis, he is one of the best ever #LewisHamilton
— Damian Kinsella (@damokinsella82) August 2, 2020
Another fan congratulated him on his achievement.
F**k me that was close! @LewisHamilton I can’t believe you managed to get that thing home in one piece! 7th win at Silverstone! What an achievement, can’t wait to see you win your 9th there next year! #F1
— Lee Smith (@lee__smith) August 2, 2020
While another said they almost had a heart attack.
I almost had a heart attack! I'm sure most of us felt that way😂 It was insane at the end, but through it all you stayed calm. Congratulations champ on your 7th home win! #TeamLH #StillWeRise 🙌🏾🔥🖤💜❤
— Wendy (@monalisamawe2) August 2, 2020
