If you’d told Lewis Hamilton four months ago, amid the hoopla of Formula One’s biggest-ever driver move, that he would be “hoping and praying” for a strong result at his beloved Silverstone, he’d likely have laughed you out of the room. Either that or he’d have rolled his eyes. Take your pick.
After all, this was the seven-time F1 world champion moving to the fabled Ferrari. A driver in need of rejuvenation after three years of frustration at Mercedes was joining a team seemingly on the up, having come within a whisker of last year’s constructors’ title. Everything seemed perfectly aligned. With the whole world watching, what could possibly go wrong?
