The first F1 driver to congratulate Lewis Hamilton on social media has fans saying the same thing

The first F1 driver to react to Lewis Hamilton’s historic British Grand Prix victory on social media has fans saying the same thing.

Hamilton took the chequered flag at Silverstone for his record-extending 104th win, and his first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 39-year-old, who is leaving current team Mercedes at the end of the season, was emotional on team radio and in his post-race interview after ending his race win drought.

Hamilton finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris, having overtaken the latter through the final pit stops of the race.

It was a memorable day for those fortunate enough to attend in person and watch Hamilton‘s ninth Silverstone victory – the most at any track by a single driver, breaking the record set by Michael Schumacher.

And congratulations from Hamilton flooded in on social media.

Among all the messages was one from four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who had a rivalry with Hamilton throughout much of their F1 careers.

The pair weren’t always on the best terms, particularly during the heart of their championship battles in 2016 and 2017, but have gained mutual respect for each other over the years and are now great friends.

Vettel’s Instagram story message was short, as he accompanied a picture of Hamilton’s success with the words: “GOAT. Congrats Lewis.”

In response, one fan wrote: “Vettel is a class act and a man who knows what’s what.”

A second agreed: “Legend knows legend.”

A third said: “It would have been great if Seb had been there in person.”

And a fourth added: “Sebastian Vettel on his Instagram only posts memories of when he was still racing, social initiatives, and Lewis Hamilton.”

A fifth reminisced: “Vettel vs Hamilton during the hybrid era, you had to be there.”

Vettel is no longer an active F1 driver, having retired at the end of the 2022 season to focus on his off-track interests.

But the four-time world champion, and former Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin driver, has refused to rule out a return to the sport like his former rivals Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen did.

He told Martin Brundle in September: “I can’t say no, because that you don’t know.”

“I think it’s something that if you asked all of them [those who did return], probably some of them would have said ‘no’. Some of them I don’t know, but in the end all of them came back, so I can’t exclude it.”