Formula one Driver Lewis Hamilton staved off the challenges off Max Verstappen’s late charge to win a thrilling British Grand Prix on Sunday and secure his first victory since the penultimate race of the 2021 season.

Hamilton became the first F1 driver to win on any track nine times and also extended his F1 record to 104 wins. His last came at the Saudi Arabian GP in December 2021 — the year he lost the title to Red Bull driver Verstappen.

“You’ve got to continue to dig deep even when you are feeling the bottom of the barrel,” Hamilton said. “My fans around the world have been so supportive.”

It was a fitting way for Hamilton to end his last British GP with Mercedes, before joining Ferrari next year.

“This is my last race here with this team so I wanted to win this so much for them because I love them and I appreciate them so much,” he said. “I was coming round and there’s just no greater feeling than to finish at the front here.”

The seven-time F1 champion beat defending champion Verstappen by 1.5 seconds, with Lando Norris finishing third for McLaren ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.

A tearful-sounding Hamilton thanked his team over radio and was still emotional several minutes later as he struggled to compose himself.