British Grand Prix: The Hits/Misses by the editorial staff

The TOPS

Lewis Hamilton the magnificent

What about Lewis Hamilton’s exceptional performance during this British Grand Prix? The seven-time world champion showed all his fighting spirit, all his talent, and all his skill to win for the ninth time in front of his home crowd at Silverstone. Always fighting for the lead, whether with his teammate George Russell at the start of the race, then Lando Norris, and finally Max Verstappen in the last laps, Hamilton reminded the paddock and fans of his presence by winning for the first time in two and a half years, or 57 Grand Prix races. This 104th victory in F1 allows him to catch up with his main rivals in the championship.

Nico Hülkenberg is impressive

Sixth in qualifying, sixth in the race in difficult conditions. The Haas F1 driver delivered a remarkable performance behind the wheel of the American single-seater. Already impressive on Saturday where he qualified ahead of a Red Bull and the two Ferraris, he repeated the performance the following day by finishing just outside the top 5. Already sixth in Austria, the German has been the ninth man on the grid for a few races now, or even the seventh given the current difficulties of Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc. Hülkenberg is a safe bet on the grid and he proves it race after race. Audi must be pleased to have secured his services for the coming years.

Silverstone, guaranteed spectacle.

It is not common to place a circuit in the top category. Yet, the cradle of Formula 1 has once again proven that it has a special place in the calendar. For several seasons, the legendary circuit has been the scene of races with many twists and turns. Whether it was the Verstappen-Leclerc battle in 2019, Hamilton’s victory on three wheels in 2020, or the Verstappen-Hamilton collision in 2021, fans are treated to the spectacle provided by their champions. This 2024 edition will be remembered as the rebirth of the Mercedes driver before appearing in red in front of his fans next year.

The FLOPS

But where did the second Red Bull go?

This mid-season of 2024 currently gives us a magnificent battle between four teams and therefore between eight drivers. However, in terms of performance, it is actually seven drivers who are fighting for podiums. Sergio Pérez is indeed far from the top of the grid. In qualifying, he has not done better than 8th since Miami! In the race, including a retirement, he has had three finishes outside the points in the last five Grand Prix. A catastrophic record that includes his downfall at Silverstone. Starting second to last after a mistake on Saturday, he owes his 17th place in the race only to the retirements of Pierre Gasly and George Russell. Despite his recent contract extension, it is possible that Red Bull may tire of this kind of performance and ultimately decide to part ways with the Mexican.

Can’t be translated.

What’s going on aboard Ferrari number 16? Since his magnificent victory in Monaco a month and a half ago, things have been going downhill for Leclerc. Starting from 11th in qualifying, the former Alfa Romeo driver managed to climb up to seventh position before a strategic decision ruined his race. As rain started to fall over Silverstone, Leclerc and his team decided to switch to intermediate tires. With the track still too dry at that point in the race, it was difficult for the Monegasque driver to get back into the battle for points. This led to a long agony until a 14th place finish that was unworthy of Leclerc’s talent and the performance of his Ferrari. Hopefully, better days are ahead.

Setback for Alpine

It was almost obvious that this British Grand Prix was going to be complicated for the French team, but maybe not to this extent. Penalized after changing several components of his engine, Pierre Gasly was forced to start from the back. Unfortunately, he only completed the formation lap due to a faulty gearbox. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon could not do better than a disappointing 16th place driving a car whose performance deficit was glaring on the British tarmac. After four consecutive points finishes, the setback is painful for the French drivers.