Lewis Hamilton cut an emotional figure after spectacularly claiming his first Formula 1 victory since the 2021 season during Sunday’s dramatic, rain-hit British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Hamilton followed Mercedes team mate George Russell in the early stages of the race before rain showers turned the encounter on its head, with drivers moving from slick tyres to intermediates and then back to slicks.

A decisive call to return to slicks a lap earlier than McLaren’s Lando Norris, who had moved ahead in the showers, saw Hamilton take a lead he would not relinquish – with the capacity crowd cheering him home every step of the way.

Hamilton’s win not only marked his first since Saudi Arabia two-and-a-half seasons ago, but also a record ninth victory at a single Grand Prix venue.

Asked about his emotions post-race, Hamilton said: “I can’t stop crying! It’s been since 2021, every day getting up, trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team.

“This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team [before moving to Ferrari], so I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they’ve been putting in all over these years.

“I’m forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, all of our partners, and otherwise to all our incredible fans… I could see you lap by lap as I was coming around, and there’s just no greater feeling [than] to finish at the front here.”

Put to Hamilton that he put on a “brave face” amid his victory drought, the seven-time world champion opened up further on the journey between his 103rd and 104th wins.

“It’s so tough, I think for anyone,” he commented. “I think 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.

“There’s definitely been days between 2021 and here where I didn’t feel like I was good enough, or whether 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 time I turn up and see them putting in the effort, that really encouraged me to the same thing.

“Otherwise, my fans, when I see them around the world, they have been so supportive. A big, big thank you to everybody back at the factory, everyone here, I love you guys.”

While Hamilton claimed victory, team mate Russell – who had brilliantly claimed pole position on Saturday – failed to finish after being called back to the pits with a suspected water system issue.