Lewis Hamilton’s vast F1 career has made sure he snatches all the records before any other racer does. Last week’s Hungarian GP has been the hottest topic of discussion amongst fans in the Formula 1 town. A content between Hamilton and Verstappen, GP calling the reigning World Champion “childish”, a rookie winning his first-ever F1 Grand Prix–the Budapest race had it all. But the single most important thing that seems to be all that anyone can talk about is Lando Norris’ admirable sacrifice for his teammate. Even though he was closing in on his second F1 race win in Hungary, he chose to follow team orders and conceded to Oscar Piastri. But guess what? Lewis Hamilton has pulled a similar move way before.

Lewis Hamilton has won 200 podiums in his entire F1 career. That is more than the number of Grands Prix that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have entered combined. So it should be no surprise that the Briton showed off incredible sacrifice for Mercedes much before Norris did it at the Hungarian GP last weekend. So, Merc Technical Director James Allison reminded everyone of Lewis’ great feat from 7 years ago when he starred in a YouTube video for the Silver Arrows.

Allison had joined Mercedes in 2017 when Lewis Hamilton was vying for the World Championship. Even though the Stevenage native had lost the previous year’s bout to Nico Rosberg, he looked well on his way for the ’17 title. Still, at that year’s Hungarian GP, he was in a spot where he could either listen to Mercedes’ orders and leave a podium place for his then-teammate Valtteri Bottas or he could just grab that place to help his Championship fight. So, when James Allison was asked to pick one of the best podium finishes Lewis has had out of all 200, he picked that time when he left the podium for his team.

Reminiscing that time, James Allison said in Mercedes’ video, “I remember it for a whole host of different reasons because they show, I think, a side of Lewis that is admirable and a way of him operating that made me feel proud to be part of this team.” Of course, Hamilton’s 7 World Championships and over a hundred Grand Prix victories might make him seem like the most competitive racer who would stop at nothing for a win. But the 2017 Hungarian GP showed he was a team player way before being a race winner. So, what really happened 7 years ago at Hungaroring?

Hungarian GP 2017 is proof of Lewis’ Mercedes loyalty

Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the maximum wins at the Hungarian GP. But in 2017, he failed to achieve victory at Hungaroring. He had qualified for the race in the fourth position behind Valtteri Bottas. Towards the middle of the race, Mercedes realized the Finn did not have enough pace to surpass Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen running ahead of him. So, they allowed Lewis to take Bottas’ P3 position and try to outrun Kimi in lap 46.

The Silver Arrows believed Lewis Hamilton would be able to cross Raikkonen in 10 laps, but that wasn’t the case. Seeing the Briton’s failure, Mercedes asked him to give his position back to Valtteri Bottas. In doing so, Lewis stood the risk of losing a podium finish and perhaps even the Championship fight. But if he decided to refuse Mercedes’ demand, he risked losing his team’s faith in him. In the end, the Briton pulled behind Bottas and ensured his teammate got the podium place, showing his amazing team spirit.

If Lewis had not let Bottas pass that day, he would have had 201 Grand Prix podiums. But his friendship and loyalty to Mercedes mattered more to him. Now, he is slated to leave the Silver Arrows to go to Ferrari next season. Do you think Hamilton will be as loyal to Ferrari in 2025 as he has been during his time at Mercedes? Share your take in the comments below.