After the inaugural #F1Sprint (don’t say race!) and a post-session penalty for RUS, the grid looks like this: VER, HAM, BOT, LEC, NOR, RIC, ALO, VET, OCO, SAI, GAS, RUS*, RAI, STR, GIO, TSU, LAT, SCH, MAZ, PER.
PER’s Red Bull has a new control electronics and energy store, so penalties would push him to the back of the grid, but he pitted at the end of the Sprint; the team changed the rear wing, as well alter the set-up of his suspension and the cooling of the front brakes, so PER will now be required to start from the pit lane. [FIA]
Red Bull also replaced both front brake drums on VER’s car after they caught fire on the grid waiting for the #F1Sprint to start
RAI becomes the first driver in F1 history to race at the same circuit 20 times!
Can HAM make it eight British Grand Prix victories? [twitter]
The drivers have a free choice of tyres for the race; the FIA Strategy Guide which shows which new & used sets they have available
Air temperature 29°C; track 53°C
Pit lane is open; cars can head to the grid
ALO spins his Alpine in Luffield corner! Recovers and heads to the grid
Grid: VER, HAM, BOT, LEC, NOR, RIC, ALO, VET, OCO, SAI, GAS, RUS, RAI, STR, GIO, TSU, LAT, SCH, MAZ; PER starts from the pit lane
Mechanics clear the grid; looks like everyone’s on mediums except PER who’s on the hard compound
VER leads everyone (except PER) around on the formation lap
HAM and BOT hanging back, so VER will have to slow up or he’ll sit too long on the grid
01/52: HAM makes a good start, challenging into Turn 1 but VER keeps P1
HAM challenges again – contact!
VER is off across the gravel, into the tyre wall at Copse
Safety Car deployed
LEC had already passed HAM for P1
Radio from HAM, “I’ve got damage”; “We’re waiting for you in the box”
02[SC]: HAM doesn’t pit
VER is out of the car but he looks winded
Red flag – they’ll need to rebuild that tyre wall
Radio from HAM asking if VER is ok
03[SC]: The SC leads everyone into the pits
Order is LEC, HAM, BOT, NOR, RIC, VET, ALO, SAI, RAI, OCO, STR, GAS, GIO, RUS, TSU, SCH, LAT, MAZ, PER; out: VER
Unsurprisingly incident involving VER and HAM is under investigation
Meanwhile the Mercedes mechanics are patching up HAM’s front wing with glue and duct tape
Red Bull mechanics are looking at VER’s car – why haven’t they removed it from the gravel so the marshals can get on with rebuilding the tyre wall and restart the race?
Christian Horner on the radio to the race director, Michael Masi, telling him it’s 100% HAM’s fault; Masi says it’s under investigation
Mercedes now contact Masi and say HAM was alongside
Slow-motion replay shows VER’s hands turn right to squeeze HAM
I would call it a racing incident, but if someone has to be blamed I’d say VER was turning in on HAM
Otmar Szafnauer, Aston Martin team principal, says it’s a racing incident
Tyre wall is rebuilt; time for everyone to focus on the restart
SC leads lead everyone around on another formation lap; they will form up on the grid for a standing start
Order for the restart: LEC, HAM, BOT, NOR, RIC, VET, ALO, SAI, RAI, OCO, STR, GAS, GIO, RUS, TSU, SCH, LAT, MAZ, PER; out: VER
Long wait for the back of the grid to form up
04: NOR steals P3 from BOT
RIC has a look at BOT too but the Mercedes stays ahead
VET spins, keeps it out of the wall
OCO takes P10 from GIO
05/52: LEC, HAM, NOR, BOT, RIC, ALO, SAI, STR, RAI, OCO, GIO, GAS, RUS, TSU, PER, SCH, LAT, MAZ, VET
HAM has been given a 10-sec penalty 🙁 Terrible decision
06: LEC fastest lap
Radio for HAM telling him of the penalty; no response
07: Radio for HAM, “We need to push on now”
08: HAM f/lap 1:32.738
10/52: LEC, HAM, NOR, BOT, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, OCO, RAI, GAS, PER, GIO, RUS, TSU, LAT, VET, SCH, MAZ; out: VER
11: HAM has had to drop back from LEC because his tyres are getting too hot
13: Radio for LEC, telling him they’re switching to Plan B – are they 2-stopping?
14: A lot of drivers being told to extend this stint
15/52: LEC, HAM, NOR, BOT, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, OCO, RAI, GAS, PER, GIO, RUS, TSU, LAT, VET, SCH, MAZ
Radio from LEC reporting the engine cut out; he’s given some complex changes to make
16: HAM f/lap 1:32.713
BOT f/lap 1:32.694
Radio for HAM, giving him a setting change so he can attack LEC
17: HAM f/lap 1:32.473
BOT f/lap 1:32.415
Radio from LEC reporting the engine cut again
GAS given a warning flag for exceeding track limits
18: HAM f/lap 1:32.291
19: Pit stops are starting – RAI, PER, RUS and VET
20: LEC, HAM, NOR, BOT, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, OCO… OCO pits
LEC f/lap 1:31.985
PER attacking RAI, takes P13
21: RIC pits from P5; hard tyres go on; rejoins P9
22: LEC f/lap 1:31.974
NOR pits; long stop 🙁 Problems getting right-rear on; rejoins P6
23: BOT pits; hards go on; rejoins alongside ALO, slots into behind for P5
BOT passes ALO for P4
24: NOR inside ALO for P5
25/52: LEC, HAM, SAI, BOT, NOR, ALO, GAS, RIC, TSU, STR
ALO pits from P6; bit of a slow stop; rejoins P10
ALO squeezes past STR for P9
26 = half distance: SAI f/lap 1:31.885
BOT f/lap 1:31.415
27: Radio for LEC asking how many laps he could do at this pace; “I don’t feel any drop off”
Radio from HAM, “front left is dead”
28: HAM pits; serves 10-sec penalty; hard tyres go on; rejoins P5, about 4sec behind NOR
29: SAI pits from P2; problem with the front-left; rejoins P6
30/52: LEC pits from P1; clean stop; rejoins still P1, his lead over BOT now ~7sec
HAM f/lap 1:30.762
31: LEC, BOT, NOR, HAM, RIC, SAI, TSU, ALO, STR, PER, GAS, OCO, RAI, RUS, GIO, LAT, VET, MAZ, SCH; out: VER
TSU pits
HAM easily past NOR for P3
32: SAI closing on RIC
34: LEC’s lead now 9sec over BOT; HAM is ~4sec behind his teammate
35/52: LEC, BOT, HAM, NOR, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, PER, GAS, OCO, RAI, TSU, RUA, GIO, LAT, VET, MAZ, SCH
37: Radio from BOT, he thinks it’ll be hard to get to the end; his front tyres are looking rough
39: HAM f/lap 1:30.594
PER pits; mediums go on; rejoins P17
40/52: LEC, BOT, HAM, NOR, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, GAS, OCO
PER inside VET for P16
Radio for BOT, “Team order: do not fight with HAM”
41: BOT lets HAM take P2
42: HAM f/lap 1:30.443
VET pits; retires the Aston Martin
43: HAM f/lap 1:30.160
SAI still on the rear on RIC, harrying him for P5
Radio for LEC, “mode Race, full push to the end”
44: HAM now under 6sec behind LEC
PER looks inside TSU; they bump wheels; PER takes P12
45/52: LEC, HAM, BOT, NOR, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, GAS, OCO, RAI, PER, TSU, RUS, GIO, LAT, MAZ, SCH; out:
HAM f/lap 1:29.801
46: HAM f/lap 1:29.699
HAM under 4sec behind LEC
47: Radio from HAM, “He’s picking up the pace” and yet HAM still closes the gap
LEC is closing up on 6 backmarkers
GAS pits
RAI has spun off
48: RAI moves out the way and is lapped by LEC
Replay shows PER and RAI made contact, causing RAI to spin
49: HAM has got LEC’s lead down to 1.5sec
LAT lifts off, letting LEC and HAM lap him
HAM now close enough to get DRS
50/52: LEC, HAM, BOT, NOR, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, OCO, TSU
Incident involving PER and RAI will be investigated after the race
HAM inside LEC into Copse; LEC runs wide; HAM cleanly takes P1
51: Radio for HAM, “Keep it easy on the kerbs; just look after it”
52: PER f/lap 1:28.617 – no point because he’s P16 but that takes it away from HAM
HAM takes the chequered flag – that’s 8 British Grand Prix victories!
LEC P2
BOT P3
NOR P4
RIC P5
Interviews:
Christian Horner: wah, wah, wah
Provisional result: HAM, LEC, BOT, NOR, RIC, SAI, ALO, STR, OCO, TSU; GAS, RUS, GIO, LAT, RAI, PER*, MAZ, SCH
DNF: VET, VER
*PER fastest lap
Incident involving PER and RAI will be investigated after the race
“‘I’d rather fight than finish P11 or P12’ says Raikkonen as he and Perez escape penalty after late collision”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.id-rather-fight-than-finish-p11-or-p12-says-raikkonen-as-he-and-perez-escape.53RCbKAWwYekhXFVcNFebR.html
“In discussions with the drivers and team representatives, they all felt that no one was predominantly at fault. The Stewards agree and take no further action.”
Can someone ask the stewards how this collision is different to the HAM/VER incident? Ignore the outcomes (RAI spins; VER in the tyre wall) because they should be investigating the *collision* not what happened afterwards. If PER/RAI is a racing incident, then surely so was HAM/VER.