“We need some rain,” Lewis Hamilton claimed ahead of tomorrow’s British GP. “We need a repeat of 2008,” he said, with a confident smile. Now, why would the 7-time champion want to relive a 16-year-old feat he achieved as a McLaren driver? Was it because of his double overtake at the race start? Or was it because he lapped everybody except the podium sitters on a treacherous, wet Silverstone track, or because it was his first victory on home soil? None of these questions need answers – they are all rhetorical.

Lewis Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007. Being F1’s first black driver was not the only history he created that year. With nine pole positions and four wins in his rookie year, a new star was born. After losing the championship by only one point, he made sure the same regret didn’t repeat in 2008. Out of the 5 wins in 2008, the British GP victory, 16 years ago today, stood out. Even today, it is considered one of his best races ever, despite him having won 96 more since.

Lining up P4 on the grid on a wet track, the then-McLaren driver got off to a great start and overtook Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari and Mark Webber’s Red Bull before Turn 1. Hamilton even overtook his teammate Heikki Kovalainen in P1 but lost the position immediately. However, it wasn’t long enough before he snatched the race lead in Lap5 with a bold overtake on the Hangar straight. After that, he never looked back.

While his rivals scrambled to find a grip under adverse weather conditions, he kept extending his lead. Lapping everybody but the Top 3, Hamilton finished 68 seconds ahead of Nick Heidfield in P2. As the Briton crossed the chequered flag to take the first of eight wins, commentator James Allen won hearts: “So many questions asked about his commitments, his distractions, but he handled the pressure. A fantastic performance, a mesmerizing drive. At times, he was five or six seconds a lap quicker than men on the same tires.”

The 23-year-old Hamilton then carried that momentum throughout the season to win his first F1 championship, one that Felipe Massa is now contesting legally. While that controversy is now dormant, so is Hamilton’s run of victories. The Briton hasn’t won a race in over 2 years, and that’s why he longs for a repeat of the 2008 masterclass in the wet. That year also made legendary commentator Murray Walker immortalize him as one of F1’s greats.

Murray Walker’s incredibly spot-on Lewis Hamilton prophecy
On November 2, 2008, Brazil witnessed history. Lewis Hamilton finished P5 in the race to edge championship rival Felipe Massa by just one point. The premature celebrations in the Ferrari garage died down as their McLaren rival won the battle of basic math. In the December edition of the F1 Racing magazine (now GP Racing), Murray penned a soul-stirring column for Hamilton.

“I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go, but never before have I had so many strangers stop me in the street wanting to know about this fresh-faced youngster who had kindled their interest in a sport they knew little about,” Walker wrote, adding, “Lewis has been a power of good for F1 at a time when it badly needed something to brighten its tarnished image.”

The 7-time champion has overcome all difficulties thrown his way to emerge not only as the world’s greatest F1 driver but also as a beacon of light for those facing similar challenges. This weekend, all of Great Britain will pray for rain at Silverstone to witness their home hero take his highly anticipated 104th F1 victory.