Sebastian Vettel has hailed Lewis Hamilton as the ‘greatest of all time’ after he clinched a record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix victory.

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel embrace at the launch of the Buzzin' Corner biodiversity project during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on September 21, 2023 in Suzuka, Japan.

The pair have had their fair share of battles on the track, with Vettel himself once the youngest World Champion in Formula One history at the age of 23.

Following Hamilton’s triumph over Lando Norris and Max Verstappen on Sunday, marking his first grand prix win since 2021, Vettel took to Instagram to acknowledge the British icon’s achievement, reports the Express. Vettel captioned a celebratory photo of Hamilton with a three-word message that read: “GOAT. Congrats Lewis.”

The post was shared by Fastest Pitstop’s account, prompting fans to join in praising Hamilton’s monumental success. One fan declared: “Legend knows legend.”

Another said: “Everybody knows…EVERY FRIKKING ONE KNOWS! His WIN IS HUGE!” A third added: “I think now we have to say Lewis officially takes the GOAT spot over Michael.”

Hamilton added another Silverstone trophy to his collection on Sunday, bringing his career total to an astonishing 104 race wins over 17 years. He holds the records for the most wins, pole positions, and podium finishes in the sport.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Great Britain after the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 7, 2024 in Northampton, United Kingdom.
Hamilton won a record-breaking ninth single circuit title ( 
Image:
Kym Illman/Getty Images)

An emotional Hamilton reflected on his victory, saying: “Yeah, I can’t stop crying. I think, you know, it’s been since 2021. I just, every day getting up, trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task, and work as hard as I can with this amazing team.

“And this is my last race here, the British Grand Prix, with this team, so I wanted to win this so much for them because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they’ve been putting in all of these years. I’m forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, and all of our partners, and then otherwise to all our incredible fans.”