Paul Henman formula1 Grand Prix of Britain – Race

Grand Prix of Britain – Race

Hamilton on pole, just ahead of Rosberg, means we (probably) will have a Mercedes vs Mercedes battle into the first turn; will there be contact? Hopefully not and they can battle cleanly through to the end of the race.

Qualifying was tough for BUT when his rear wing detached from the floor, leaving him down in P16.

Provisional grid: HAM, ROS, VES, RIC, RAI, VET*, BOT, HUL, SAI, ALO, PER, MAS, GRO, GUT, KVY, MAG, BUT, PAL, HAR, WEH, NAS and ERI will need approval from the stewards to race tomorrow
*VET will drop 5 places because of the gearbox change

ERI has the OK to race; he’ll start from the pit lane.

As the pit lane opens, 30 minutes before the start of the race, there are some dark ominous clouds over the Silverstone circuit. Looks like rain in the distance. It’s just starting to spit in the pit lane!

Good to see John Surtees on the grid walk; Christian Horner seems happy with the rain – it should help Red Bull close on Mercedes
With the rain getting harder, will teams start to think about intermediate tyres?
15 minutes before the start and it’s heaving it down! Might be full wets, not even inters!
MAS thinks they might even have to start behind the safety car
There’s a break in the clouds just on the horizon – it’s going to be an interesting race 🙂
Surprised the Red Arrows still did the flyover

Race control confirm the race will start behind the Safety Car
Rain has stopped and the sun is out

Grid: HAM, ROS, VES, RIC, RAI, BOT, SAI, HUL, ALO, PER, VET, MAS, GRO, GUT, KVY, MAG, BUT, PAL, HAR, WEH, NAS, and ERI starting from the pit lane

Everyone has to start on full wets behind the SC; will the SC come in at the end of the first lap, and will drivers switch to inters or straight to dry tyres?

Because they’ll start behind the SC there’s no formation lap

01/52 [SC]: the SC isn’t going to be able to go fast enough to let the F1 cars keep their tyres and brakes warm
Radio from HAM complaining about losing temps behind SC
Parts of the track are looking dry already
Radio from VET – quite a bit of standing water

02[SC]: Radio from HAM – big puddles

03[SC]: Radio from HAM – inters pretty soon
Radio from HAM – Safety Car is slow; not easy to keep temperatures up

04[SC]: They ought to bring the SC in, lets them do a couple of laps on full wets to clear most of the water, and then move to inters or maybe even slicks
Radio from ERI – time for inters
Radio from HAM – here we go, Charlie (Whiting, the race director)

05/52 [SC]: Radio for HUL – how far from dry tyres? HUL says not very
Race control: SC in at the end of this lap
Williams getting ready for a stop
Radio for RIC asking about tyres – maybe inters
SC turns the lights off
HAM gets very close to hitting the SC!
SC peels off track

06: RAI, BOT, SAI, HUL, ALO, VET, GRO, GUT, MAG, WEH all head into the pit lane
Some very close calls as people dive into and out of their pit boxes
HAM has opened a gap as ROS holds up VES

07: HAM fastest lap 1:56.218
RIC, MAS, KVY, BUT, PAL, HAR all pit
More close calls in the pit lane – RIC almost hit BUT
WEH in the gravel – he’s on inters

08: HAM f/lap 1:56.218
Virtual Safety Car deployed as marshals clear WEH’s car
HAM, ROS, VES, PER all pit, followed by NAS and ERI
Mercedes manage to service HAM then ROS and still get ROS out ahead of VES
VSC removed

09: HUL takes P10 from ALO

10/52: HAM, ROS, VES, PER, RIC, RAI, SAI, MAS, BOT, HUL, ALO, VET, KVY, BUT, NAS, GRO, PAL, MAG, ERI, HAR, GUT; retirements: WEH
HAM f/lap 1:52.310
HUL inside BOT but can’t get the power down and BOT keeps P9
Radio for ERI telling him to carefully slow and bring the car back to the garage

11: VES f/lap 1:51.848
BOT spins in Vale; recovers just as BUT is about to pass him
ERI pits and retires the Sauber … no, the mechanics are trying to fix whatever the problem is

12: Radio for RIC – need to make these tyres last until it’s dry
HUL closing on MAS

13: HAM f/lap 1:51.474
BUT still harrying BOT for P13
HUL lining up MAS but MAS defending hard

14: Radio for VES telling him he’s on the same pace as HAM and everyone else is a second slower
Radio from VES – it’s getting dryer but not time for slicks just yet

15/53: HAM, ROS, VES, PER, RIC, RAI, SAI, MAS, HUL, ALO, VET, KVY, BOT, BUT, NAS, GRO, PAL, MAG, GUT, HAR; retirements: ERI, WEH
HUL struggling for grip which lets ALO get very close

16: VES f/lap 1:51.350
Radio for MAG asking how’s the track; MAG just says “still wet”
RAI f/lap 1:51.234
VET pits; first to switch to slicks; takes on medium tyres
ROS struggling; VES takes P2

17: HAM f/lap 1:50.649
RAI, MAS, KVY, BOT, NAS, GRO, PAL all pit
PAL released without a right rear wheel!
Renault mechanics push PAL back to his box
DRS now enabled

18: HAM, ROS, PER, RIC, SAI, HUL, ALO, BUT, MAG, GUT, HAR all pit
VET f/lap 1:46.324
VET spins after running a little wide and touching the grass

19: VES pits; rejoins still well ahead of ROS
KVY f/lap 1:45.979
NAS f/lap 1:44.685
GRO off track; parks the Haas

20/52: HAM, VES, ROS, PER, RIC, RAI, SAI, HUL, MAS, ALO
HAM f/lap 1:43.283
ROS f/lap 1:42.559

21: HAM f/lap 1:42.124
VES f/lap 1:40.747 – that’s ~1.4 secs faster than HAM!
ALO looking left and right, trying to find a way past MAS

22: HAM f/lap 1:39.092
RIC passes PER for P4
VES saves a spin but runs very wide

23: ROS f/lap 1:38.737
RAI touches a damp line and runs wide in Turn 1
Radio from PAL complaining about blue flags for KVY but it’s because PAL is a lap down (having served a 10-sec stop-go penalty for the unsafe release)

24: ROS f/lap 1:38.041
ALO across the gravel, taps the tyre wall but manages to find a way back across the gravel and onto the track
BOT tries to pass ALO; ALO defends, pushes BOT onto the damp

25/52: ROS f/lap 1:37.826
SAI spins on a damp area into Turn 1
NAS gets a run on BOT, takes P14

26 = half distance: ROS f/lap 1:37.317
HAR off across the gravel, sideways into the tyre wall

28: HAM runs wide in Turn 1
ROS closing on VES after VES also ran wide

30/52: HAM, VES, ROS, RIC, PER, RAI, HUL, SAI, MAS, VET, KVY, BUT, ALO, NAS, BOT, MAG, GUT, PAL; retirements: HAR, GRO, ERI, WEH

31: RIC f/lap 1:37.157
HAM is 6sec ahead of VES, but ROS is under 1sec behind VES

32: HAM f/lap 1:36.891
ROS uses DRS to attack but VES defends well
PER spins in Turn 1

33: HAM laps MAG (P16)

34: HAM f/lap 1:36.659
ROS has another look but VES still defends

35/52: HAM, VES, ROS, RIC, PER, RAI, HUL, SAI, MAS, VET, KVY, BUT, ALO, BOT, NAS, MAG, GUT, PAL
Radio from ROS complaining about VES moving twice
ROS closes down Hangar Straight; moves to the outside but VES keeps P2

37: HAM f/lap 1:36.611
Radio from VES saying he’s struggling with his rear tyres

38: VET tries to go inside MAS but runs wide, off track; forces MAS off track too
ROS has another go around the outside and this time makes it stick

39: HAM’s lead just over 8.5 secs
Race control: cars 5 (VET and MAS) under investigation
MAS pits; unusually slow front left change; soft tyres

40/52: HAM, ROS, VES, RIC, PER, RAI, HUL, SAI, VET, KVY, BUT, ALO, MAS, BOT, NAS, MAG, GUT, PAL
ROS f/lap 1:36.356
PAL pits; pushed into garage

41: ROS f/lap 1:36.308
ALO pits
VET runs wide in Turn 1 again

42: ROS f/lap 1:35.989; HAM still 6.5sec ahead
VET given 5-sec penalty for forcing MAS off track
MAG pits

44: HAM f/lap 1:35.833
RAI closing on PER

45/52: HAM, ROS, VES, RIC, PER, RAI, HUL, SAI, VET, KVY, BUT, MAS, ALO, BOT, NAS, GUT, MAG; retirements: PAL, HAR, GRO, ERI, WEH
ROS f/lap 1:35.548

46: RAI still harrying PER for P5

47: Radio for ROS – gearbox problems; urgent instruction to change settings
RAI takes P5
Radio for ROS – avoid 7th gear

48: VES closing on ROS

49: VES just over 1sec behind ROS
Radio for VES telling him ROS is under investigation for comments over the radio

50/52: HAM, ROS, VES, RIC, RAI, PER, HUL, SAI, VET, KVY, BUT, MAS, ALO, BOT, NAS, GUT, MAG
MAS takes P11 from BUT

51: VES still over 1sec behind ROS
MAG pits
Race control confirm ROS radio messages will be investigated after the race

52 = final lap: HAM is almost 10sec ahead of ROS
Crowds cheering as HAM passes them

HAM takes the chequered flag – that equals Nigel Mansell’s record for Silverstone wins, and Jim Clark’s record of winning three consecutive British GP.

Provisional result: HAM, ROS*, VES, RIC, RAI, PER, HUL, SAI, VET*, KVY; MAS, BUT, ALO, BOT, NAS, GUT
DNF: MAG, PAL, HAR, GRO, ERI, WEH
*VET given 5-sec penalty for forcing MAS off track – that’ll drop him behind KVY
*ROS radio messages will be investigated after the race

HAM leaves parc ferme and runs over to wave to the crowds
ROS meanwhile is told he’s under investigation

Podium:
ROS is booed as he is announced 🙁
More boos as he gets his trophy – OK people, get over it
HAM: It’s never plain, smooth sailing – that’s why the British GP is the best

Christian Horner says the radio restrictions rule is rubbish but you have to play within the rules
I agree – get rid of the rule, but until then you have to obey the rules
The previous couple of penalties for radio instructions weren’t very bad, so hopefully Mercedes made the right decision

Some crazy crowd surfing from HAM – huge number of fans on the track

2 thoughts on “Grand Prix of Britain – Race”

  1. Pingback: paul
  2. After a very long delay…
    “Nico Rosberg has had 10 seconds added to his race time by the stewards in Great Britain after Mercedes were deemed to have given him illegal assistance over team radio during Sunday’s race at Silverstone. The penalty drops him from second position to third, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.” “Rosberg’s demotion means that team mate Lewis Hamilton is now just one point behind the German in the drivers’ standings, with 168 points to the Briton’s 167.” [FIA]

    Revised result: HAM, VES, ROS*, RIC, RAI, PER, HUL, SAI, VET*, KVY
    *That’s with VET’s 5-sec penalty and ROS’s 10-sec penalty applied.

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