United Kingdom: The Hits and Misses from the Editorial Team

The top 3

Vettel “thunderous” / thunderous

Certainly, his fourth victory in 2018 will leave a mark. Yes, Sebastian Vettel triumphed on the home ground of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, a duo unbeaten at Silverstone since 2015!

After pushing his rival to the limit during the qualifiers, the German had an ideal start to outpace the Briton. What happened behind him is not his concern. However, his first part of the race was in line with his style: a gap of at least two seconds over the competition. Courageous and full of composure, Vettel maximized his performance by taking all risks against Bottas at the end of the race, which could have backfired. His overtaking maneuver at the Brooklands corner is one of the major moments of the season. Thanks to his boldness, he now leads the drivers’ standings by eight points.

From now on, Vettel has won more races with Ferrari (12) than Alonso and Massa combined (11), all in fewer races than his predecessors. More than ever since his arrival at the Reds and ready to compete for the title against Hamilton!

Unmissable drama 😮

Mercedes and Ferrari went toe-to-toe in the final laps of a thrill-a-minute #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/D5pI6TmGKB

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 8, 2018

Hamilton “the fighter” / the fighter

Unpleasant sensation for the Briton to be beaten in his own backyard. His strong point will remain the monumental lap of a pole position achieved at the end of the suspense. A quality “Hammertime” against his great rival from Scuderia Ferrari. In echo, his involvement and joy showed just how much the driver was keen on winning another edition in Great Britain. But this overflow of emotion may have also contributed to a botched start (it’s not the first time this has happened), and to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pushed by Räikkönen without much to say, Hamilton still showcased his talent to pass the entire field and drive at a unique pace. He left Bottas behind on the 48th lap, who was on tires four laps older. Moreover, the strategy to stay on track during the safety car backfired, and deprived him of a battle with Vettel at the end of the race. But the Mercedes driver managed to save the day… His motivation for the rest of the season is still at its peak, facing an adversity never so sharpened!

Hülkenberg “outstanding” / outstanding

The famous title of best of the rest goes to him! Outperforming Sainz in qualifying despite missing out in Q2, “Hulk” continued his impressive tradition of beating his teammate at Silverstone, a streak ongoing since 2010. In the race, the German had a keen sense at the start by avoiding chaos and climbing up to sixth place by the end of the first lap. His task was eased by Charles Leclerc’s retirement, but nonetheless, Nico Hülkenberg delivered another solid race, all with an alternate strategy, starting on mediums then switching to hards. In the championship, his consistency was rewarded with the coveted seventh place, just ahead of Fernando Alonso. A reliable contender, we say!

From P11 to P6 and now six-point finishes in a row at silverstone.. 💪🏽✌🏽 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/t9UvLJD7r0

— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHülkenberg) July 8, 2018

The flop 3

Grosjean, “one more time” / once again

Seven days after his fourth place in Austria, it was not the time to fall back into old habits. But the French driver still made headlines for the wrong reasons. Already penalized in FP1 due to a crash, Romain Grosjean wisely chose not to overdrive in qualifying to secure a satisfactory eighth place. His race became complicated from the start, touching his teammate Magnussen in the third corner. A racing incident but not entirely his responsibility. However, his collision with Sainz at Copse is much less defensible: the Haas driver overdrives to assert his territory. Even though Romain Grosjean had been outside the Top 10 since the start, his aggressive driving is definitely not the most suitable for his current situation. He concedes two more points in the internal battle with Magnussen. Will the Haas board defend him all season?

The collision between Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz at Copse 🔥

🏎️GROSJEAN: “He didn’t leave me space even though I was alongside him on the inside: he turned as if I wasn’t there… Too bad!”#F1 #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/TIoe5aJoSk

— Secteur F1 🏎️ (@Secteur_F1) July 8, 2018

Red Bull, “the disappointment” / the disappointment

Probably one of the teams least comfortable on this track and in these weather conditions, along with Williams, relatively speaking. The Austrian team has gone from a main player to a supporting role in the race for victory. And when reliability issues arise, with Verstappen’s retirement due to brake problems, the situation worsens significantly. For Christian Horner, the key to the English failure is found in the lack of power from the Renault engine. At least this weekend has served to legitimize the decision to switch to Honda engines. But by the end of the season, will Red Bull remain inexorably in the shadow of Ferrari and Mercedes? Hockenheim and Budapest will be two crucial meetings for the Winged Bull.

Williams “always in the dark” / always in the shadows

The embarrassment is all the more intense when it’s exposed. Here, the Grove team displayed the extent of its weaknesses in front of their audience and creator, Sir Frank Williams, who came to meet them in the paddock. The peak of difficulties was the qualifying session, marked by both drivers going off track. The cause of the problem has since been identified as an aerodynamic failure and a significant loss of downforce on the rear wing when engaging the DRS. The race didn’t improve matters. Both cars finished the race, but in second to last and last place. At least Stroll can take solace in being ten seconds ahead of Sirotkin at the finish. It’s doubtful that this pleases anyone, given the depth of the issues with this car. The team has never finished last in the constructors’ standings!