RANKED! Lewis Hamilton’s top 10 F1 wins

Lewis Hamilton has now notched up a historic century of victories following his win in today's sensational Russian Grand Prix.

The British driver took his first win in Canada in 2007 in his debut year with McLaren, with his 99 successes since achieved in many different ways.

These are what we at GPFans Global consider to be his 10 best.

10. Japan 2007

This showed Hamilton had maturity way beyond his 22 years of age at the time, and demonstrated his pure racecraft as all great wet race wins do.

Conditions were so wet at the infamous Mount Fuji circuit that the race was almost cancelled. It ran under the safety car for 19 laps before racing began, with Hamilton leading from pole but dropping as low as sixth during the stops.

He spun his McLaren when hit by Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber but team-mate Fernando Alonso crashed heavily and other rivals fell by the wayside, leaving the Briton to cruise home and put himself in strong contention for a debut-season title.

"There were moments I thought it would have been better to stop the race but when the rain faded a little I would have been able to push harder if necessary."

9. Germany 2008

This race was all about keeping cool to overcome adversity when things fell apart through a wrong call on strategy.

Hamilton put his McLaren on a clear pole and had built up a good lead over Felipe Massa's Ferrari until a crash brought out the safety car just after the midway point, sending most of the field peeling into the pits.

McLaren gambled on not stopping, but the safety car stayed out and the long period of slow running forced Hamilton to race hard at the restart to make room for a stop. He pitted with nine laps to go, coming out in fifth, but clawed his way back to the front in a dramatic finish.

“I didn't plan on doing that. I would have much preferred an easy comfortable afternoon out in front.”

8. USA 2012

This was F1’s debut in Austin and it showed just how quickly Hamilton can get to grips with a new challenge.

After qualifying on the front row, he dropped to third behind Mark Webber off the line but dispatched him four laps in and gave chase of Vettel, closing in until the Red Bull hit traffic on lap 42.

The HRT of Narain Karthikeyan held Vettel up and Hamilton did not have to be asked twice as he opened his DRS and blasted past to take the lead and the win. Never did the cowboy hat look better

"I knew I had to grab my chance, so I turned the engine up to maximum revs and pushed like crazy.”

7. Germany 2018

This race proved that Hamilton has what it takes to work his way through the pack, something he has rarely been challenged to do.

Starting 14th after hydraulic problems in qualifying, Hamilton quickly passed the slower cars ahead and was fourth when rain started to fall and Vettel slid out from the lead, bringing out a safety car.

While others pitted, Hamilton stayed out after aborting a pit stop and driving across the grass. When he ended up in the lead ahead of a freshly-shod Valtteri Bottas the team called ‘hold station’ and Hamilton took the win.

"I knew there was the possibility to win when it started to rain. I didn't make any mistakes at all, so I was really proud of today.”

6. Italy 2018

Fighting Ferrari at Monza is always tough, but with the Tifosi in full voice and Mercedes under attack, this showed Hamilton’s self-focus.

The Ferraris were faster on home ground but Hamilton tipped Vettel into a spin at the start to slot into second. He took the lead briefly in a safety car period but Kimi Raikkonen took it back and Hamilton went into hounding mode.

On fresher rubber after the stops, he reeled in Raikkonen thanks to team-mate Bottas slowing the Ferrari. He made a move stick around the outside into the first chicane and raced on to win by 8.7 seconds.

“It was tooth and nail, as racing should be. It’s quite up there [on all-time great wins], especially on Ferrari’s home turf, with such a difficult crowd and so much pressure on the team.”

5. Monaco 2008

Hamilton's ability to overcome adversity was on full show at the principality in 2008.

Hamilton fought through a wet-to-dry track, a collision with a barrier, a puncture and a slow puncture to take his first win at Monaco.

Starting third, Hamilton instantly battled his way past Kimi Raikkonen to take second before hitting the barriers at Tabac early in the race. A safety car handed him a lifeline and after taking the lead on a different fuel strategy, Hamilton stretched his advantage on a drying track.

Safety car periods and a final-lap slow puncture would not deter the McLaren driver from taking the chequered flag in spite of his early race dramas.

"When the weather is like this, when it starts to rain and we had an idea it was going to start to dry, the important thing is to keep it on the track but I can't explain how difficult it was for all of us. You were aquaplaning all the time and you were tip-toeing almost."

4. China 2011

Composure is crucial when your car fails to start, and Hamilton had plenty as he fired up late and fought through to victory.

After arriving late on the grid when his car would not start, Hamilton got away well and followed team-mate Jenson Button early on. He dropped down in the first round of stops but was fourth when it came to the run to the finish.

Hamilton began the fightback by passing Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa with 12 laps to go. He closed the 4.6secs gap to Vettel in six laps, snatched the lead in a ballsy high-speed move with four laps to go and finished five seconds up the road.

"I feel absolutely overwhelmed. It was a worry when the car wouldn't start, but I tried not to show I was concerned. It was one of the best races I've experienced.”

3. Turkey 2020

In a race where he stood to draw level with Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles, Hamilton showed just how deep he can dig when things go off course.

Normally dominant, Hamilton struggled with the slippery surface and bad weather to start a season-worst sixth on the grid, and with drizzle falling on Sunday there was little he could do to gain ground at the start.

On a drying track, however, he was a master. He raced through to lead by lap 37 and finished more than half a minute ahead, with a seventh title in the bag. “If we’re honest, it wasn’t his race to win and he still won it,” said Sebastian Vettel.

“I was thinking ‘Jeez, this race is falling through my fingers’. But I just kept my head down, kept believing I would pick up pace at some point and that’s what I did.”

2. Bahrain 2014

Few team-mates have been too tough for Hamilton, but Rosberg was on top of his game here, which is why this calculated defensive win was so special.

Rosberg was on pole but Hamilton snatched the lead at turn one. The German tried and failed to pass on lap 19 and the race was put on a knife-edge as the pair swapped tyre strategies, leaving Hamilton narrowly ahead towards the finish.

He held off Rosberg with tactical energy deployment from the new hybrid power systems but with six laps to go Rosberg dived up the inside and the pair went wheel-to-wheel from turn 1 to 4. He tried again, but Hamilton was too strong.

"It felt like one of the best-calculated races I've ever had - how I was using my power and how I was positioning my car."

1. Great Britain 2008

This performance was pure class, showing that when Hamilton is off his game is often when he is at his most dangerous.

The race came after two disappointing outings including an infamous pitlane error in Canada. Starting down on row two, Hamilton balanced his McLaren on the edge of control and roared through to the lead by lap five.

A mix of good strategy and calculated driving shook off the mid-race challenge of Ferrari’s Raikkonen and Hamilton raced clear, lapping everyone up to third and ending up a staggering 68.6s ahead of second-placed Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber.

“The conditions were bad and as I was driving I thought, 'If I win this, it will be the best race I've ever done'."

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