The British Grand Prix is one of the most looked-forward-to races during the Formula 1 season. With its first race in 1950, it has become a historical classic for the masses. The track presents a 5.891 km course with 52 laps, including iconic fast corners such as Maggots, Becketts, and Abbey, making it one of the fastest tracks on the circuit. Here are a few of the most iconic moments at the Silverstone Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton defies puncture to win the British Grand Prix
In 2020, the two Mercedes cars on the road to gain the podiums suffered tyre deflation during the last few laps of the race. Valtteri Bottas had to unfortunately box and retire his car, leaving him in the P11 position. To add to their bad luck, Lewis Hamilton, the race leader, faced a similar puncture in the last lap of his home race.
Lewis Lightning
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) August 3, 2020
Hamilton McQueen
🤝
Winning with three tyres pic.twitter.com/bcFA4uqWzP
With Max Verstappen gaining access to the British driver’s punctured vehicle, it felt like the home race win dreams were over. However, with miraculous efforts and the limping 3-tyred car, Hamilton won the race with a 5.8-second gap to the Dutchman. It was a testament to Hamilton’s talent and abilities and the emotions that a home race brings out for the F1 drivers.
The 2021 Tussle: Max Verstappen versus Lewis Hamilton
The title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton started on the front row, respectively; however, with Hamilton having a better start, there was a constant tussle till eventually, Hamilton’s front tyre made contact with Verstappen’s rear, thus sending him spinning off the track.
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Hamilton described the collision to his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, on the radio afterward. “He just turned in on me; I was ahead going in there. I was fully alongside; that’s my line.” Verstappen said he had left room for Hamilton.
“He goes for that move; he commits to the move; of course, I’m going to make it difficult for him to make the move. But as soon as he commits to the inside and is getting alongside me, I open up the corner, and then I’m going to leave him space.”
Eventually, Hamilton went on to win his home race after penalties. The drivers were unhappy with each other, which increased the rivalry and resulted in one of the most competitive and cutthroat championship battles.
Carlos Sainz’s maiden Win on the steps of Silverstone
2022 was the year when Carlos Sainz won his first race at Silverstone. The race started with a huge red flag with Zhou Guaynu’s crash and Alex Albon’s hospitalisation due to another incident in the opening lap.
Slices of Silverstone 👌#BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Uo3unwywZv
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 2, 2024
Moreover, Ferrari’s strategy was to let the drivers fight, which resulted in Charles Leclerc leading in front of Sainz for a while; however, the safety car changed the game. It then allowed the Spaniard to overtake his teammate, swooping in to take his maiden victory at Silverstone. In the post-race interview, Sainz commented:
“I needed to stay in the race like I was trying to, and then all of a sudden the safety car gave me the opportunity to get back on it. Yeah, we did it. You can imagine the nerves on that safety car restart, knowing it was my chance and getting it done.”
The Brit’s first home race win at the British Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton’s start to the second season was not the best; he was fourth in the driver’s championship despite having two wins and two other podiums.
Morning showers necessitated wet tyres for the race to start. Despite starting fourth, Lewis Hamilton quickly overtook Mark Webber and Kimi Räikkönen before passing pole-sitter Heikki Kovalainen.
As the rain intensified, Hamilton’s fresh tyres extended his lead. While many rivals spun out, Hamilton maintained control, finishing over a minute ahead and lapping up to third place. This victory is considered one of Hamilton’s finest performances in Formula 1.
Schumacher’s hoop hole at the British Grand Prix
During the 1998 British Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was on his way to winning his third driver’s title, but with Mika Hakkinen in the lead and a 6-point gap to overcome. Near the end of the race, with the cutthroat fight and a safety car, Schumacher was penalised for illegally overtaking Alexander Wurz under the safety car.
A handwritten note sent to the Ferrari team was confusing, as it didn’t clarify whether Schumacher would have 10 seconds added to his time or serve a stop-and-go penalty.
The team called him in, but it was the last lap, and Schumacher crossed the finish line and then served his penalty as the Ferrari garage was after the finish line, which technically made him the winner. This left other teams, especially McLaren, furious, arguing that Schumacher hadn’t served his penalty during the race.
Rohit Kumar