Lewis Hamilton’s maiden victory sparked an “amazing” rush for tickets to the British grand prix next month, according to organisers.
Silverstone’s managing director Richard Phillips said in a statement that, with Hamilton leading the world championship by 8 points in his rookie season, nearly every ticket for the event on July 8 is now sold out.
General admission tickets, for example, sold out completely on Monday, hours after Hamilton’s breakthrough in Canada.
Phillips explained: “We haven’t seen this level of interest since (Nigel) Mansell-mania in the late 80s and early 90s.”
British tabloid The Sun quoted Sir Frank Williams as saying that Hamilton’s success “makes you think there is a God”, while the Daily Express speculated that the 22-year-old could become F1’s first ever billionaire driver.
“Every so often someone comes along who transcends their sport; a George Best, Muhammad Ali or Tiger Woods –- and Lewis could be another,” marvelled sponsorship expert Tim Crow.
