'For sure my best race ever' - Lewis Hamilton names Sao Paolo GP victory in 2021 to be his best race ever

As he thought about some of the unique memories from his ten years of competing for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton referred to his triumph at the 2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix as "the most special race of my career". With just four races, including the Sprint in Brazil, remaining in the season, Hamilton was locked in a fierce title duel with Max Verstappen of Red Bull and trailed the Dutch driver by 19 points.

Hamilton was disqualified for a DRS violation after qualifying on the pole for the Sprint and dropped to the rear of the grid. He also experienced a five-place grid penalty for the race as Mercedes installed a new engine in his vehicle. The British driver later improved from last to fifth in the Sprint to finish first in the race, passing Verstappen in the dying laps to claim a much-needed victory.

'The most special race of my career' – Lewis Hamilton

"I think for sure my best race ever and probably the most special race of my career," said Hamilton, reflecting on that weekend at Interlagos. "I was so proud to hold this flag on the podium. Growing up, I'd always loved Ayrton Senna; I'd watch him when he is carrying a flag. Anyways, I'd qualified on pole, and then I got disqualified for a wing that was 0.02 millimetres out or something crazy like that. I remember in that moment for me, my heart just sunk. Because I knew that I had to win every race, and I remember in that moment I thought it was over; I can't win this world championship," he added.

"And just with all the work we had done through the year, I just felt so deflated and so powerless. And somehow, it's been something that I've been able to do my whole career; somehow, I was able to move on. You know what we are going to get there; there is nothing you can do about the past; you move forwards; you can do this. I just stayed in the evening and just put it aside. I did all the studying, I came back the next day, and I drove from last to first. And I saw one of the marshals holding the flag, and I stopped and grabbed it. That was just one of the most special moments when I held the flag up on the podium," he concluded.