Sky Sports F1 rank Lewis Hamilton’s 10 best wins during his time at Mercedes, ahead of his last race with the team at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix…
10) Monaco GP 2019: Holding off a new rival
Max Verstappen emerged as Hamilton’s next superstar rival and their 2019 head-to-head in Monaco remains one of their most intense race-long battles.
Verstappen was in Hamilton’s wing mirrors for the majority of the race – evoking Monte Carlo memories of Ayrton Senna vs Nigel Mansell in 1992 – and Hamilton’s task was made all the more difficult by the fact Mercedes admitted to giving him the ‘wrong’ medium tyres, which their lead driver had to make last for more than 60 laps.
Verstappen tried with all his might, even making contact with the Mercedes when diving into the chicane with three laps to go, but Hamilton placed his car to perfection at all times. Given that his good friend and mentor Niki Lauda had passed away earlier that week, Hamilton’s win was all the more impressive.
9) Hungary 2013: The first of many at Mercedes
Hamilton’s first win with Mercedes came at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix
Eyebrows were raised when Hamilton swapped McLaren for what was a relatively raw Mercedes outfit but, after Nico Rosberg proved the W04’s pace with two victories leading up to Round 10 at the Hungaroring, Hamilton delivered his first for the Silver Arrows in style.
Defying pre-race expectations, soaring heat and two world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton converted pole into what was an unexpectedly crushing victory in Hungary. Those dominant performances were replicated repeatedly over the next decade.
8) Italian GP 2018: Breaking Ferrari hearts
Lewis Hamilton won in front of Ferrari’s home crowd at the 2018 Italian Grand Prix
Hamilton overcame a Ferrari front row to land another big punch against title rival Vettel at Monza in 2018 with a superb drive on, effectively, away soil.
He went around the outside of Vettel at the second chicane, with the pair making contact and the Ferrari driver spinning.
Raikkonen would be a much tougher challenge to deal with though as Hamilton overtook the Finn on an early Safety Car restart, but lost the lead at the next corner.
He spent the next 40 laps staring at the back of the flying Ferrari, which had incredible straight-line speed, before making a great move into the first corner with nine laps to go – this time not giving up first place and holding onto the win.
7) Brazilian GP 2016: An unseen wet-weather masterclass
One of Lewis Hamilton’s most underrated wins was the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
All the talk about the 2016 F1 race in Sao Paulo was about Verstappen’s stunning drive to third as he came back through the field in heavy rain.
But, up front, Hamilton was in a league of his own in a must-win race to keep his championship hopes realistically alive against Rosberg, who finished 11 seconds behind his Mercedes team-mate.
Perhaps not as famous as his 2008 Silverstone victory for McLaren, but another performance in the wet which went under the radar.
6) German GP 2018: A championship-defining comeback
The 2018 German Grand Prix was one of Hamilton’s most important wins in F1
Hockenheim 2018 was certainly one of the more remarkable days of Hamilton’s remarkable career.
The Briton had lost title momentum to Vettel heading into the weekend – and his mood became even worse when he suffered a disastrous qualifying failure which left him 14th on the grid. Hamilton had never won from lower than sixth.
But after storming through the field, Hamilton then capitalised on the wet-dry conditions to close in on Vettel, before his big rival beached his car into the gravel. It was an amazing win, and crucial to Hamilton winning his fifth crown.
5) Bahrain GP 2021: Fighting off Verstappen in stunning season-opener
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The first race of the 2021 season set the tone for what was to come. Verstappen started on pole but Hamilton undercut him and cheekily played with the track limits rules by running wide at Turn Four during the first half of the race, to gain lap time.
Verstappen had fresher tyres for the last stint and set about chasing down the Mercedes driver. With five laps to go, Verstappen went for it around the outside at Turn Four but overtook Hamilton off the track.
He conceded the position later in the lap and Hamilton held him off in an epic season-opener.
4) British GP 2024: Ninth Silverstone win ends drought
