Originally posted on my old blog 15/08/2020
If I could take my pick of any of the 2020 season’s races so far to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Formula One, a celebration of the greatest sport on the planet, I wouldn’t have to look any further than last weekend at Silverstone. How convenient then that our second consecutive visit to the home of the sport was for the 70thAnniversary Grand Prix. Whilst another Mercedes win would have characterised the current state of F1 and their near total dominance, a commanding drive and win from Max Verstappen provided us with a race that was full to the brim with the skill, risk and excitement that makes the sport. For anyone growing tired of Mercedes’ winning streak (and I’m expecting that’s a fair few) it was a timely reminder of the unpredictability that brings races to life, and of how special it is to see a young talent drive beyond the limits of a car. It felt fitting that a man who many believe is destined to become world champion (and some believe is set to be one of the greatest, amongst the likes of Fangio, Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton) won on Sunday.
But we must start first with Saturday, and with a qualifying session that threw up a fair few surprises. George Russell managed to get his Williams into Q2, though considering it’s the fourth week in a row he’s achieved that, the shock factor has worn off a bit. What was impressive though was that he managed to so after being heavily impeded by Esteban Ocon in Q1, the Frenchman receiving a five place grid penalty as a result. It was a miserable day (and a miserable weekend) for Sebastian Vettel, as he failed to make it to Q3 for the second time, P12 the best his Ferrari could manage. It was a disappointing session also for Carlos Sainz who slotted in behind Vettel, Lando Norris not doing much better and finishing at the back of the Q3 pack in 10th. Ricciardo and Gasly had strong afternoons, getting P5 and P7 respectively. Valterri Bottas secured pole by the slimmest of margins, Lewis Hamilton lining up alongside his teammate. The performance of the day undoubtedly came from Nico Hulkenberg, who bounced back from the disappointment of last week to secure an unbelievable P3. Alex Albon continued to struggle with qualifying, ending up in P9. His teammate was up in P4, but it was a decision made by the red Bull crew in Q2 that was to have the greatest influence on the race itself, as Verstappen set his fastest lap and managed to squeeze into Q3 on the hard tyre, meaning this was the tyre on which he had to start the race. This would allow him to go further on his first stint than the rest of the top ten, who were setting off on the mediums. The tyre drama at the culmination of last weeks race, coupled with the softer compounds brought by Pirelli to spice up the second weekend at Silverstone, meant most drivers were expected to opt for a two stop strategy.
Bottas had a clean get away at lights out, keeping Hamilton behind him as Verstappen moved up into 3rd by Abbey. Further back it was a disastrous start for Vettel as he span AGAIN. I don’t know if anyone is keeping a tally, but over the last few seasons he must have spun more than most of the grid combined. Poor Seb. Lucky Sainz though, who only just avoided the spinning Ferrari. The Mercs fought into Brooklands, giving us a good bit of early entertainment, but Hamilton failed to get past. As the cars already began to manage their tyres, Albon became the first to pit for hards on lap 6. Rather than disappearing into the distance, Bottas and Hamilton were kept in check once Max’s tyres warmed up and he began to lap at the same pace as them. By lap 11 he was in Hamilton’s DRS, but his engineer promptly told him to back of and preserve his tyres. Luckily for our sake, Max wasn’t having any of it, refusing to drive like a ‘grandma’ and give up his first real opportunity to fight the Mercedes all season. He pushed, forcing Bottas to pit on lap 13 and Hamilton a lap later to get rid of their heavily blistered tyres.
Slightly further back there was some great action, with Leclerc battling Norris and Albon pulling off a superb move on Raikkonen around the outside of Stowe. Magnussen had a characteristically bullish encounter with Latiffi, pushing the Williams off the track and receiving a 5 second time penalty as a result. With Max in the lead, by lap 23 the Mercedes were already struggling on their new tyres, lapping slower than the Dutchman. Having pulled out a nice lead, he pitted, coming out just behind Bottas, but immediately overtook him on colder tyres, regaining P1. Having had a good weekend it went very suddenly downhill for Danny Ric as he spun towards Village. Immediately following this Verstappen and Bottas pitted in tandem, holding position as they came out behind Lewis. The Brit sounded concerned about his tyres but was reassured by his team he was OK, and it increasingly looked like he was going to attempt a one-stop strategy. Albon continued to wiggle his way through the field with a wonderful overtake on Ocon at Copse, his confident and assured drive reminding everyone why he deserves his seat at Red Bull.
Just as Verstappen started to push to close the 8.9 sec gap to Hamilton, the leader pitted, coming out behind Leclerc but overtaking him easily within a few laps on fresh rubber. With Hulkenberg pitting from p5 to come out 7th, Leclerc’s 4th place was safe, the Monegasque again outdriving his car and demonstrating why he is the number one Scuderia driver (one of only three drivers to make a one-stop work). Just three laps from the end the Mercedes were told they were allowed to race, their battling helping Verstappen extend his lead. It wasn’t to last long though, as on newer tyres Hamilton got his teammate into Brooklands. As he began his final lap Max made sure to check in with his race engineer GP, reminding him for the second race in a row to stay hydrated, a humorous demonstration of the relaxed demeanour that helped him win the race. It was a double podium for Mercedes but Bottas was noticeably and understandably disappointed to have ended up on the weaker strategy and in 3rd. Leclerc and Albon drove well to end up P4 and P5, and it was 6th and 7th for Stroll and Hulkenberg. Ocon took P8 and Norris P9, on what was a terrible weekend for the Mclaren’s. They’re form has been patchy as of late, and Ferrari have now managed to steal 3rd in the constructors standings from them. Speaking of the red cars, things seem to be going from bad to worse for Vettel, his radio message at the end of the race confirming all is not well in the relationship between him and the team.
Looking to Barcelona it’s likely that tyres will continue to play a key role in the race weekend. It’s set to be a scorcher, and even though the compounds will be slightly harder (the same as for the British Grand Prix), the Mercedes is expected to again struggle with its high down force compromising its tyres, with the Red Bull enjoying the higher temperatures. What is often one of the duller races of the season could thus provide us with a healthy dose of excitement, and I can’t wait.
