Lewis Hamilton hoping to end his podium drought at Silverstone

LONDON – Lewis Hamilton has won a record nine times at Silverstone but arrives this year on a 13-race run without a podium, equalling the longest drought of the seven-time world champion’s Formula One career.

The Briton would dearly love to win again this weekend and end the unhappy sequence in his first race in Britain as a Ferrari driver.

“It would be a great place to be able to change that, so that’s what we are working towards,” the 40-year-old told reporters on July 3.

Hamilton’s British Grand Prix record is simply phenomenal – on pole seven times, on the podium 15 times – the most by anyone ever at a home race.

Of all his 105 career wins, 2024’s victory with Mercedes at Silverstone was one of the most emotional – closing a 56-race gap between wins and a wait of 2½ years.

Until now Hamilton has always raced here with British teams, first McLaren and then Mercedes.

“I don’t really know what to expect this weekend,” he added.

“At the moment Thursday is the same as always, it’s the least enjoyable day of the week and this always is the case. You just want to be in the car. I’m sure driving on track for the first time in a red car in Silverstone is going to be unique and special in its own way.

“We have the best fans here at the British Grand Prix and for a British driver they really, really do make a difference. I think I’ve shown that to you time and time again. I hope this weekend they can really make a difference for us as well.”

James Vowles, the Williams team boss who previously worked with Hamilton at Mercedes, had no doubt that the Briton could win on Sunday.

“He’s very special at Silverstone, he reacts really well to local crowds and the atmosphere is around him. Short answer, yes,” he told Reuters.

In other news, American Tim Mayer announced that he would stand against incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in a December vote for president of governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The 59-year-old, a former Formula One steward and son of former McLaren principal Teddy Mayer, left the FIA last November.

He said then that he had been fired via text message by an assistant to Ben Sulayem. The FIA dispute that he was sacked by text.

“What I see is a failure in leadership right now,” he told a press conference at a hotel near the British Grand Prix circuit Silverstone, adding that he had been working on his campaign for six months.

He described his bid as a Herculean task with the deck stacked in Ben Sulayem’s favour, given recent statute changes, and only five months to campaign and win votes from member federations.

Mayer did not say who would be on his presidential list, a requirement for standing, which he admitted still had some open positions.

He said he had good support from Motorsport UK and had informed Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Liberty Media-owned Formula One, of his plans.

“The job now is to go out and explain to lots of small clubs around the world... why we can do a better job,” said Mayer. “Explaining how we can bring value and restructure the FIA to do a better job.

“I do feel restructuring needs to happen.”

Off the track, and hot on the heels of Brad Pitt’s recently released film F1: The Movie, another Hollywood star is set to front a behind-the-scenes series on Cadillac’s journey to join the F1 grid in 2026.

Canadian screen actor Keanu Reeves, a motor sport fan, is to present a multi-episode production that will focus on the team’s development of staff, cars and race team through a two-year process.

In March, Cadillac were confirmed as the sport’s 11th team for 2026.

The star of Speed and The Matrix said he felt honoured and excited to tell the Cadillac story and “bring audiences into the heart of this journey and to showcase what it takes to participate in one of the most exclusive sports arenas in the world”. REUTERS, AFP