The last British driver to win the FORMULA 1™ World Championship, Damon Hill, was among the first to congratulate Canadian Grand Prix winner and F1 World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton on Sunday, after the young Brit put in a stunning performance to win his first ever Grand Prix.
In his debut season as an F1 driver, and only his sixth ever Formula 1 race, the 22 year old McLaren driver wowed fans and fellow drivers after taking the chequered flag ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Alex Wurz.
Damon Hill, President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club and winner of the FORMULA 1™ World Championship in 1996, was full of praise for Hamilton who drove a spectacular race. Hill said, “What an unbelievable win for Lewis. People should not underestimate what he has achieved in an incredibly short space of time. Yes, he’s with a good team, and yes, he’s got a good car, but to be winning Grands Prix, and be putting in performances like that race after race, takes something special.
“He may be young and in his first season, but this guy is the real deal. If you’re good enough in this sport, you’re old enough - and boy is Lewis good enough. With just four weeks to go until the British Grand Prix (on 8 July) it’s great news for British fans and British motorsport.” Hill continued, “He’s leading the World Championship and winning races, so his confidence will be sky high. He’s now got a great chance of winning the British Grand Prix, in front of his home crowd at Silverstone. And he’s shown he can handle the pressure.
“We shouldn’t get too carried away, but we could be looking at the next British World Champion”, claimed Hill. Looking ahead to this year’s FORMULA 1™ Santander British Grand Prix, taking place on 6-8 July, Hill added,
“One of the highlights of my career was winning my home race in 1994. It means a huge amount to a driver to win in front of his home crowd, and it would be a dream come true for Lewis if he was to win at Silverstone.”
Tickets for the 2007 British Grand Prix are available from £99 (£50 for Children). For further information, or to purchase tickets, visit silverstone.co.uk, or call 08704 588 300. Silverstone has also introduced Family Tickets for the Friday and Saturday of the three day event.
A family of four (two adults and two children) can now enjoy Friday practice for as little as £79, while a Family Ticket for qualifying on Saturday offers incredible value, priced at £139. Families are able to bring up to two extra children for an additional cost of £10 per child on the Friday and £20 per child on the Saturday.
