Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT of Formula 1, plain and simple. Seven World Championships, more than 100 race victories, more than 100 pole positions and countless records have given him a résumé that speaks for itself. Across his career, Lewis has produced so many incredible performances that choosing only five is almost impossible.
This list isn’t simply about Hamilton’s biggest winning margins or races where he had the fastest car. I’m looking at the circumstances, pressure, conditions, overtaking, championship implications and what each performance meant at that particular point in his career. From dominating in the rain as a young McLaren driver to ending one of the most difficult stretches of his career at the place he calls home, these are my five greatest Lewis Hamilton drives.
#5 2018 German Grand Prix
The 2018 German Grand Prix looked like it might become a disaster for Hamilton before the race even started. A hydraulic problem in qualifying left Hamilton unable to progress beyond Q1, meaning he would start the race all the way down in 14th place. To make matters worse, championship rival Sebastian Vettel had taken pole position in front of his home crowd and entered the weekend leading Hamilton in the championship.
Hamilton had work to do, and he wasted no time doing it. He quickly began working his way through the field, climbing into the points and putting himself into position to capitalize if anything happened ahead. Then the weather arrived. Rain began falling on parts of the circuit, creating incredibly difficult conditions as drivers tried to determine how much grip was available from one corner to another. Vettel, who had controlled much of the race from the front, crashed out of the lead at the Sachs Kurve.
Hamilton kept his car on the track. After starting 14th, he eventually found himself leading the German Grand Prix and crossed the line to complete one of the greatest comeback victories of his career. It wasn’t simply a win either. Hamilton went from beginning the weekend behind Vettel in the championship to leaving Germany with the championship lead. In changing conditions, with his title rival starting from pole and Hamilton buried near the back of the grid, Lewis found a way to win.
That’s why Germany 2018 comes in at No. 5.
#4 2020 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2020 Turkish Grand Prix was one of those races where simply keeping the car on the track was an accomplishment. Formula 1 returned to Istanbul Park on a newly resurfaced circuit that provided almost no grip. Add rain to the equation and the track became incredibly difficult to manage. Drivers were spinning, sliding and struggling to bring their tires into the correct operating window.
Hamilton qualified only sixth, while Racing Point locked out the front row with Lance Stroll on pole. For much of the race, Hamilton wasn’t even the obvious favorite to win. Instead of forcing the issue, he remained patient. He managed his intermediate tires, waited for the race to come toward him and gradually moved himself into contention. Once Hamilton took control, nobody could touch him.
He eventually won the race by more than 30 seconds, turning what initially looked like a chaotic afternoon into another Hamilton masterclass. While other drivers struggled with the conditions and tire management, Lewis made one of the most difficult tracks of the season look manageable. The victory also carried enormous historical significance because Hamilton clinched his seventh Formula 1 World Championship, tying Michael Schumacher’s record.
He didn’t clinch championship No. 7 by cruising around in perfect conditions with the fastest car comfortably out front. He did it by producing one of the smartest and most controlled wet weather drives of his career.
Turkey 2020 is No. 4.
#3 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix
This wasn’t just a great race from Hamilton. It was one of the greatest comeback weekends Formula 1 has ever seen.
Hamilton arrived in Brazil locked in an intense championship fight with Max Verstappen. Every point mattered, and it appeared his championship hopes had taken a massive blow when he was disqualified from qualifying because of a technical infringement involving the Mercedes rear wing. That sent Hamilton to the back of the grid for Saturday’s Sprint.
So he started passing people, and then he kept passing people. In only 24 laps, Hamilton went from 20th to fifth, passing 15 cars in a remarkable charge through the field. Normally, that performance alone would be remembered as one of the highlights of a race weekend, but Hamilton wasn’t finished.
An engine penalty meant he still had to start Sunday’s Grand Prix from 10th place. Once again, he charged through the field until only Verstappen stood between him and victory. The two championship rivals battled fiercely, including a controversial moment where both drivers went wide at Turn 4 as Hamilton attempted to pass. Lewis regrouped, attacked again and eventually got the move done.
Hamilton passed Verstappen and completed an extraordinary comeback to win the São Paulo Grand Prix. He had effectively gone from the back of the field on Saturday to standing on the top step of the podium on Sunday, all while fighting to keep his hopes alive in one of the closest championship battles in Formula 1 history.
There are races where Hamilton dominated from pole. Brazil 2021 showed something different. It showed his refusal to give up.
São Paulo 2021 comes in at No. 3.
#2 2008 British Grand Prix
Before the championships, records and Mercedes dynasty, there was Silverstone 2008. Hamilton was only in his second Formula 1 season and was already fighting for a World Championship. The British Grand Prix arrived under miserable conditions, with heavy rain creating one of the most difficult races of the season.
Hamilton started fourth, was already second by the first corner and soon afterward took the lead. What followed wasn’t simply a wet weather victory. It was destruction.
While some of the best drivers in the world spun, struggled for grip and made mistakes in the awful conditions, Hamilton seemed to be driving on a completely different circuit. He continued building his advantage while everyone behind him simply tried to survive. Hamilton eventually crossed the finish line more than a minute ahead of second place, winning by roughly 68 seconds.
In Formula 1, where races can be decided by tenths of a second, winning by more than a minute is absurd. And this wasn’t a veteran Hamilton with years of championship experience. This was a 23 year old in only his second season in Formula 1, driving his home Grand Prix under enormous pressure.
The race became an early demonstration of something we would see repeatedly throughout Hamilton’s career. When conditions became unpredictable and grip disappeared, Lewis often became even more dangerous. If this list were based purely on dominance, Silverstone 2008 could easily be No. 1.
But there is one victory that means even more to me.
The 2008 British Grand Prix comes in at No. 2.
#1 2024 British Grand Prix
945 days.
That’s how long Lewis Hamilton had gone without winning a Formula 1 race. For most drivers, going nearly three years without a victory wouldn’t be remarkable. For Hamilton, a man who had spent much of his career winning almost everything there was to win, it felt like an eternity.
His previous victory had come at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Then came the heartbreak of Abu Dhabi, the introduction of new regulations in 2022 and Mercedes falling away from the front of Formula 1. Hamilton went from fighting for championships every season to wondering when, or even if, he would win another Grand Prix.
Then came Silverstone.
His home. The place where he had already created so many unforgettable moments.
Hamilton started the 2024 British Grand Prix from second behind Mercedes teammate George Russell. Changing weather created a race where timing, tire management and experience became just as important as outright speed. Hamilton worked his way into the lead before the McLarens came alive as the rain intensified. Lando Norris moved ahead, but when the circuit began drying, Hamilton and Mercedes made the crucial decision to switch back to slick tires before Norris.
It worked. Hamilton regained the lead, but there was still one problem.
Max Verstappen was coming.
Verstappen switched onto the hard tire and began closing rapidly during the final stint. The gap continued shrinking as Hamilton tried to make his soft tires survive until the checkered flag. Lap after lap, Verstappen got closer, but Hamilton didn’t crack.
After 52 laps, Lewis crossed the line 1.465 seconds ahead of Verstappen and won the British Grand Prix. For the 104th time in his Formula 1 career, Lewis Hamilton was a Grand Prix winner.
But this one felt different.
It ended a 945 day and 56 race winless streak. It was his record ninth victory at Silverstone, giving him more wins at a single circuit than any driver in Formula 1 history had achieved at the time. And he did it at 39 years old, in front of his home crowd, during his final season with Mercedes.
Then came the radio message. Hamilton, a driver who had won championships and races so often that victory once seemed almost routine, was overcome with emotion. After everything that had happened since his previous win, you could hear what this one meant to him.
That is why Silverstone 2024 is No. 1 on my list. Was it his most dominant victory? No. Silverstone 2008 has that argument. Was it his greatest comeback? Brazil 2021 probably takes that one. Was it the race where he accomplished his biggest championship achievement? Turkey 2020 gave him World Championship number seven.
But sometimes greatness isn’t only about the numbers.
Silverstone 2024 was about perseverance. It was about a seven time World Champion going through nearly three years without standing on the top step and continuing to believe another victory would come. And when it finally did, it happened at home.
Hamilton has produced countless incredible performances throughout his career, but watching him cross the line at Silverstone after 945 days without a victory made this one different.
For me, the 2024 British Grand Prix stands as Lewis Hamilton’s greatest drive.
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