Over the weekend, it was announced that the Silverstone Circuit’s International Pits Straight will be renamed the “Hamilton Straight” to pay tribute to the seven-time World Champion’s success in Formula One.
It will become the only part of the circuit, which has long played host to the British Grand Prix, to be named after a racing driver.
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Reacting to the tribute, Lewis Hamilton said he is “blown away” and was evidently shocked by the news.
“That is insane. That is definitely a curveball. I don’t even know what to say,” Hamilton replied after British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) President David Coulthard announced the tribute on Channel 4.
Continuing, Hamilton said: “I remember going to Silverstone and watching Nigel Mansell and seeing that incredible crowd and I have also experienced it year-on-year. It is something so close to my heart.
“I am blown away. No driver has had that, so I am very grateful, very humbled, and a big thank you to everyone for supporting me. I hope I can continue to make the BRDC and the Brits proud for the time I am racing,” the seven-time World Champion added.
The tribute to Hamilton’s record-breaking achievements in Formula One came at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, on his return to F1 after missing the Sakhir Grand Prix due to him testing positive for COVID-19.
Hamilton finished the race in third position, with his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas just ahead of him and Red Bull ace Max Verstappen claiming victory after a commanding performance.
Speaking after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton said he has not been “100 percent” this weekend but was “generally happy” with his performance.
“You can’t win them all, so I think considering the past couple of weeks I’m really generally happy with the weekend.
“At obviously not 100 percent it doesn’t feel as good as perhaps you would like, but congratulations to Max.
“That was a really hard race for me, physically all year I’ve been fine, but today I definitely wasn’t, I’m just glad it’s over,” he added.
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