United Kingdom: « We were lucky! » admits Leclerc, Top 3 statements at Silverstone
After the punctures in the last two laps, the drivers on the podium could only be delighted to have reached the finish line. Here are the post-race comments from Hamilton, Verstappen, and Leclerc.
Hamilton had a close call but ended up more than fine in the end.
As he was calmly heading towards a seventh victory at Silverstone and the record for the number of home GPs, the white-striped tires did not hold and nearly ruined Mercedes’ perfect weekend. Hamilton claims he had no warning before the tire blew. Until the last lap, everything was going rather smoothly, and the tires seemed in good condition. Unlike Bottas, Hamilton had taken care of his tires. Valtteri was pushing hard, while I was managing the tires a bit, and he didn’t seem to be doing the same, stated the reigning world champion.
In the end, it’s a relief for the whole team and an epic moment for Hamilton, who admits he has never experienced such a twist in a final lap and that it challenged his composure. “My heart was going to stop…” exclaimed the driver at the end of the race.
Verstappen was bored during this Grand Prix.
The Dutchman has reason to be proud, he once again managed to prevent a Mercedes one-two. « Yes, it’s a very good result… for me it was a boring race, but it’s still a good race », it must be said that Max gave us some funny moments during the race when he addressed his pit crew asking them to stay hydrated.
Realistic, Verstappen knows that this result is only the result of an unexpected problem for Bottas and that next weekend will be complicated given the gap in terms of pure performance with the Mercedes.
« If Bottas hadn’t had a puncture, I would have finished third, so it’s just luck… I don’t think Mercedes will have the same problem next weekend, they’ll just make one more pit stop, anyway they’re fast enough to afford it ». Asserted a clear-minded Max Verstappen when discussing the next GP to be held on the same circuit.
Unexpected podium for Leclerc and a reward for a driver who never gives up
« It was a difficult race, when I saw that Bottas was having tire issues, I slowed down too. After witnessing the problems of Hamilton and Sainz, I thought we were lucky to be able to finish on the podium » admitted Charles Leclerc after a race where tires played tricks on the Mercedes. If this race gives some breathing room to a Ferrari team under the spotlight due to the gap created by Mercedes and Red Bull this year, Leclerc does not forget to mention that the car is not yet very competitive. « I’m happy with the way we managed the tires and the car’s balance… the speed of the car is not where it should be, but we’re making the most of what we have… » stated the Ferrari driver who once again had a miraculous race in Great Britain after an unexpected 2nd place in Austria.
