Lewis Hamilton is back at his favourite track as he bids to finally end his long wait for a race win at the British Grand Prix this weekend.

The seven-time world champion is one of the most successful drivers in Silverstone’s history but has struggled in recent years.

His last Formula 1 win came at the penultimate race of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia during his fight with Max Verstappen.

Mercedes’ troubles since then have seen the Silver Arrows win just two races but both have been delivered by Hamilton’s teammate.

George Russell ended Mercedes’ 33-race victory drought last Sunday, with the 39-year-old missing out on the podium in fourth.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, hit back with a prediction that ‘we are going to win a race with [Hamilton] this year’.

For Hamilton, there can be no time like the present as he returns to his home turf event for the 18th time.

The Stevenage-born driver has won the British GP EIGHT times.

Hamilton is tied for the F1 record for most wins at a single track with Michael Schumacher – who won for an eighth and final time at the French Grand Prix in July 2006.

His first win at Silverstone has widely been heralded as one of the best wet-weather drives ever, having risen from fourth on the grid to cross the chequered flag for McLaren in 2008.

Hamilton needed to wait another six years to taste victory on home soil but his move to Mercedes began a run of utter dominance.

Between 2014 and 2021 Hamilton won seven out of the eight races at Silverstone, with Sebastian Vettel winning the sole other race in 2018.

His most recent win in Britain was shrouded in controversy having been involved in a huge first-lap crash with pole-sitter Verstappen.

The smash saw Verstappen retire from the race while Hamilton recovered from a ten-second time penalty to seize victory.

Despite failing to add another win at Silverstone in the past two years Hamilton still managed to break a record by finishing on the podium.

His successive third-place finishes at the last two events have extended a run of 10 consecutive podiums dating back to 2014.

That form is a record for any driver at a single Grand Prix – with his 13 podiums overall also an accomplishment Hamilton has on his own.

On his memories of racing at Silverstone, Hamilton said: “Coming here for my first ever Formula Renault [race] and 2007 when I got the pole, I think that’s probably the only time I’ve ever heard the crowd over the sound of the car.

“So that’s pretty special.”

When asked how much the home fans are worth in terms of lap time, Hamilton added: “I think it’s hard to quantify.

“I think overall the crowd just lifts you and the whole team up and there’s this kind of feeling of floating – when you come here – on that positive energy that everyone brings.

“Just seeing so many of the flags and so many of the caps and people supporting us, it really just helps on the outside of Abbey [corner].”