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SILVERSTONE, England - Mercedes' driver Lewis Hamilton repeated history on Sunday by winning the British Formula 1 GP on the same date as his first home win back in 2008.
The first win was with McLaren, the second with Mercedes, and he went on to take the 2008 Drivers' championship. Yet, at Silverstone on Sunday (July 6), he said: "I didn't realise the date!"
He also referred to his problems on Saturday when he abandoned his final qualifying lap on Saturday and inadvertently gave pole position to his German team mate (and arch-rival) Nico Rosberg, the championship leader who retired on Sunday with a broken gearbox.
That retirement allowed Hamilton to come within four points of Rosberg's 2014 total.
'POSITIVE MESSAGES'
"I'm sorry about Saturday for being so speechless," he explained, "but it has gone from one end of the spectrum to the other. A huge thank you to the fans - they made the difference and there is nothing better than being able to give them that win.
"You make it hard for yourself when you put yourself that far back (he started fourth). I had positive messages from family and friends, my sister came with the dogs, my nephew came.
"I've been on the back foot all year... my car stopped twice. To catch up those points you feel you have to give a bit more. I plan to make this the start of a new chapter."
Hamilton was full of banter in the post-race news conference, too. Having joked about the trophy he was given on the winners' podium, he explained: "The bottom fell off the trophy on the podium. It's plastic. It must have cost about £10."
Then he paused and added: "Don't write anything bad about that, though!"
To laughter, second-placed Finn Valtteri Bottas interjected: "Too late!"
And Hamilton himself laughed, adding: "Yeah, that was off the record."
The first win was with McLaren, the second with Mercedes, and he went on to take the 2008 Drivers' championship. Yet, at Silverstone on Sunday (July 6), he said: "I didn't realise the date!"
He also referred to his problems on Saturday when he abandoned his final qualifying lap on Saturday and inadvertently gave pole position to his German team mate (and arch-rival) Nico Rosberg, the championship leader who retired on Sunday with a broken gearbox.
That retirement allowed Hamilton to come within four points of Rosberg's 2014 total.
'POSITIVE MESSAGES'
"I'm sorry about Saturday for being so speechless," he explained, "but it has gone from one end of the spectrum to the other. A huge thank you to the fans - they made the difference and there is nothing better than being able to give them that win.
"You make it hard for yourself when you put yourself that far back (he started fourth). I had positive messages from family and friends, my sister came with the dogs, my nephew came.
"I've been on the back foot all year... my car stopped twice. To catch up those points you feel you have to give a bit more. I plan to make this the start of a new chapter."
Hamilton was full of banter in the post-race news conference, too. Having joked about the trophy he was given on the winners' podium, he explained: "The bottom fell off the trophy on the podium. It's plastic. It must have cost about £10."
Then he paused and added: "Don't write anything bad about that, though!"
To laughter, second-placed Finn Valtteri Bottas interjected: "Too late!"
And Hamilton himself laughed, adding: "Yeah, that was off the record."
