If you watched Qualifying, then you’ll have seen how hard HAM pushed and how emotional he was when he took pole.
Provisional grid: HAM, VET, RAI, BOT, VER, RIC, MAG, GRO, LEC, OCO, HUL, PER, ALO, GAS, ERI, SAI, VAN, SIR, STR*, HAR*
*HAR and STR will need to ask the stewards for permission to race because they didn’t set a Q1 time
FIA report “Williams opted to change the rear wings and floors on both cars” so SIR and STR will both start from the pit lane, along with HAR.
VET is still suffering with his neck; there’s additional padding on the sides of his cockpit
It’s great to see Jenson Button interviewing the drivers – RIC was especially funny: “I’m pretty emotional, I’ve missed you. I haven’t slept the same since but I am soldiering on.” 🙂
Chatting with Guy Martin on the grid was funny – that boy can talk! Although I wonder how many non-Brits can understand anything he says 🙂
HAR says his car is still up on the stands – will it be ready in time for the race?
Air temperature 26°C; track 52°C; humidity 40%
Teams clear the grid
HAR’s car still being prepared
HAM leads the reduced grid away on the formation lap (SIR, STR and HAR are in the pit lane)
As HAM reaches the start line, HAR’s front wing is being attached
01/52: VET very quick off the grid – takes P1
BOT follows VET, past HAM
RAI taps HAM! Spins him around
Radio from HAM – “I think my car’s broken”
02: VET, BOT, VER, RAI, RIC, HUL, LEC, OCO, SAI, MAG, ALO, GAS, GRO, ERI, VAN, SIR, HAM, STR, PER
03: VET fastest lap 1:32.918
HAR takes P14 from ERI
04: Radio from HAM – “I’ve lost some of the floor, I’m sure”
05/52: VET, BOT, VER, RAI, RIC, HUL, LEC, OCO, SAI, MAG, ALO, HAM, GAS, GRO, ERI, VAN, SIR, PER, STR; retirements: HAR
Replay of PER spinning in Turn 1, across pit out – he’s facing the 2 Williams as they start from the pit lane
06: ALO doesn’t fight too hard as HAM takes P11
HAM catches MAG and easily past for P10
07: 10-second penalty for RAI for causing the collision with HAM
08: HAM takes P9 from SAI
Radio from RAI asking about his front wing
Race control: lap 1 incident involving GRO and MAG under investigation
09: OCO hands P8 to HAM
10: VET, BOT, VER, RAI, RIC, HUL, LEC, HAM, OCO, SAI, MAG, ALO, GAS, GRO, ERI, VAN, PER, SIR, STR
HAM passes LEC for P7
11: HAM has DRS as he reels in SAI, and breezes past the Renault for P6
12: No further action on the GRO/MAG incident
13: RIC ~15sec behind RAI, but the penalty means that’s more like ~5sec
14: RAI pits; serves 10-sec penalty; medium tyres go on; rejoins P11
ALO and PER pit too
15/52: VET, BOT, VER, RIC, HAM, HUL, LEC, OCO, SAI, RAI, MAG, GAS, GRO, ERI, VAN, SIR, STR, ALO, PER
HAM ~11sec behind RIC
16: RAI f/lap 1:32.270
18: VER pits from P3; mediums; rejoins P5, in the big gap between HAM and RAI
19: RIC pits from P3; mediums; rejoins P5, behind teammate VER
RAI f/lap 1:32.135
LEC is off – he’d just stopped so was that an unsafe release?
20/53: VET, BOT, HAM, VER, RIC, RAI, HUL, MAG, GAS, GRO
Replay of radio from LEC – “Ah! There is a problem!”; he’s told “Stop the car stop the car.”
21: VET pits from P1; blistered front left; mediums go on; rejoins P2
HUL and GAS pit too
22: BOT pits from P1; mediums; rejoins P3
23: Radio for HAM telling him to let BOT (on new tyres) take P2
24: RAI harrying RIC for P5
Radio from HAM – “maybe one more lap” (before he pits, presumably)
Race control: unsafe release of LEC will be investigated after the race
25/52: VET, BOT, HAM, VER, RIC, RAI, MAG, GRO, ERI, HUL, OCO, ALO, SAI, GAS, PER, VAN, STR, SIR; retirements: LEC, HAR
26: HAM pits from P3; “slow” stop (3.4sec) as they check his rear left; rejoins P6, behind RAI
Half distance
29: HAM f/lap 1:31.682
30/52: VET, BOT, VER, RIC, RAI, HAM, HUL, OCO, ALO, MAG, SAI, GAS, PER, ERI, GRO, VAN, STR, SIR
HAM f/lap 1:31.546
MAG closing on ALO
31: RIC pits from P4; softs go on; rejoins P6
33: ERI off, into the tyre wall – that looked big but he’s getting out of the car
Safety Car deployed
34[SC]: VET pits, but BOT doesn’t
VER and RAI pit; HAM doesn’t
Radio from RAI saying he was ahead of a Williams (SIR?) as he crossed the SC line, so he thinks he should be allowed to pass it
35/52[SC]: BOT, VET, HAM, VER, RAI, RIC, HUL, OCO, MAG, ALO, GRO, SAI, GAS, PER, VAN, SIR, STR; retirements: ERI, LEC, HAR
Race control: lapped cars (SIR, STR) can pass the SC
36[SC]: SIR and STR pass the SC; they’ll probably get about halfway around the lap before the SC pulls off
37[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
BOT backs everyone up
38: RAI attacking VER but VER keeps his foot in and holds on to P4
SAI and GRO off into the gravel
SC deployed
39[SC]: Replay shows SAI was on the outside of the turn, didn’t give GRO enough room
40/52[SC]: BOT, VET, HAM, VER, RAI, RIC, HUL, OCO, MAG, ALO, GAS, PER, VAN, SIR, STR; retirements: SAI, GRO, ERI, LEC, HAR
Race control: incident involving SAI and GRO will be investigated after the race
41[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
RAI runs a bit wide
42: ALO takes P9 from MAG
STR past SIR for P14
43: VET staying within striking distance of BOT
MAG reclaims P9 from ALO
RAI attacks VER; makes it stick, to take P4
44: RAI f/lap 1:31.289
BOT defends, runs a little wide but keeps VET (using DRS) at bay
RAI takes a look at HAM
45/52: BOT, VET, HAM, RAI, VER, RIC, HUL, OCO, MAG, ALO, PER, GAS, VAN, STR, SIR
46: BOT continues to defend
VER spins; just touches the gravel trip but recovers
47: VET makes a lunge down the inside of BOT; takes P1
VER slowing – he’s down to P14
48: VET f/lap 1:30.696
VER has pulled off track – apparently his Red Bull is stuck in 4th gear
BOT lets HAM take P2
49: RAI around the outside of BOT for P3
RIC now closing on BOT
50/52: VET, HAM, RAI, BOT, RIC, HUL, OCO, MAG, ALO, PER, GAS, VAN, STR, SIR
VET opening a slight gap over HAM
51: RIC has DRS to help him attack BOT
GAS attacks PER; PER closes the door but there’s contact and damage to the Force India; GAS takes P10
52 = final lap: RIC still on BOT’s tail
GAS closing on MAG
VET takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: VET, HAM, RAI, BOT, RIC, HUL, OCO, ALO, MAG, GAS, PER, VAN, STR, SIR
DNF: VER, GRO, SAI, ERI, LEC, HAR
Incident involving GAS and PER under investigation
VET: “safety car spiced it up”; “very, very happy obviously”
(HAM has wandered off, presumably not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment)
RAI: “I ended up hitting Lewis on the rear corner; obviously he spun, so my bad, but that’s how it goes sometimes”; asked if he thought the 10-sec penalty was fair, “it was my mistake; I deserved it”
There’s no conversation between the 3 drivers in the “cool down room” before they head to the podium
HAM interviewed on the podium: “sorry I couldn’t bring it home today”; “we take it on the chin and we keep pushing hard”; “I will not give up”; “interesting tactics, I would say” (from Ferrari?)
Toto Wolff: “James Allison’s words – do you think it’s deliberate or incompetence?”
It’s 2 weeks until the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim
GAS was given a 5-second penalty for colliding with PER at the end of the penultimate lap; that drops GAS from P10 to P13, meaning PER takes 1 point for P10. [FIA]
Revised result: VET, HAM, RAI, BOT, RIC, HUL, OCO, ALO, MAG, PER; VAN, STR, GAS, SIR
As for the GRO/SAI collision that took them both out on lap 38:
[FIA]
BBC reports: Lewis Hamilton says he was “dumb” to imply that Kimi Raikkonen might have deliberately collided with him at the start of the British Grand Prix.