Charles Leclerc took victory at a dramatic British Grand Prix from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. In a race that had massive Championship implications, this was one you didn’t want to miss!
Fast Start to the British Grand Prix
Off the line, the two Ferraris jumped pole sitter Antonelli, setting off a chaotic start to the race. Positions changed hands all down the field as the drivers jockeyed for supremacy. Piastri would have to pit for a new front wing after contact with Liam Lawson, while Albon ran into Bearman at the end of the Wellington Straight. The British Grand Prix was off to a fast start!
Hamilton started a bit too fast and would get a 5-second penalty for moving before the lights. Trying to anticipate the lights going out, he jolted forward, stopped again before they did, but it didn’t stop the stewards from dishing out the penalty.
The front of the field ran two by two in the early stages – two Ferraris from two Mercedes, two Red Bulls, followed by Norris and the two Racing Bulls.
Kimi Starts to Make Progress
On Lap 11 as Lewis Hamilton was complaining of front graining, Antonelli dived down the inside of the Ferrari driver into Copse to take second and pursue Charles Leclerc’s lead. The leading Ferrari had built up a 4-second advantage over his teammate in the early stages. This continued to extend as Antonelli appeared to have used a lot of battery to get past the 7-time World Champion.
Verstappen Triggers Early First Pit Stops
Verstappen pitted for fresh hard tyres on Lap 18, about 5 or 6 laps early for a one-stop. His teammate followed him two laps later. Were Red Bull committing to a two-stop race? Verstappen came flying out of the blocks, setting the fastest lap of the race on his first full lap. This essentially jumped him ahead of Russell on the road, but would this stick? On the other side of the garage, Hadjar was stuck in traffic, handing the advantage to Norris in their battle.
While this was happening, Antonelli started to make inroads into Leclerc’s lead. Suddenly, Antonelli was going half a second a lap quicker. Both the leaders were dropping Hamilton in third by 10 seconds as he continued to struggle with understeer.
One Stoppers Start to Pit
Right on schedule, the one-stoppers started to come in on Lap 24. Hamilton and Russell came in together, with the Ferrari serving his 5-second penalty and dropping behind the Mercedes. Verstappen jumped the pair of them but would likely have to pit once more. The fight for the final step on the podium was heating up with the three drivers split by just over 3 seconds and closed quickly.
Race leader Leclerc pitted on Lap 25 as Antonelli continued to eat into his advantage. The Ferrari would come out in clear air to gain some time with the undercut.
Antonelli would pit on Lap 35 and come out 7.7 seconds behind Leclerc but with 10 lap fresher tyres. This was now a straight fight to the chequered flag.
Hamilton, Russell & Verstappen Battle It Out
On Lap 29, battle commenced. Hamilton went around the outside of Russell into Copse but the Mercedes got him back down the Hangar straight. This battle would continue as once again Hamilton went around the outside on Lap 31, only for Russell to get him back on the next straight. Despite this battling, Verstappen wasn’t getting away.
This terrific battle just kept going on Lap 34. As Russell was told over the radio that he had a slow puncture, he dived down the inside of Verstappen, but the Dutchman held on. However, Russell was forced to pit on Lap 35 to replace his tyres, making this a two-car fight. This pit stop dropped Russell to 7th.
Hamilton would get past Verstappen on Lap 38 and end that battle, but a spanner was about to be thrown to change the dynamics of the race once again…
Hulkenberg Brings Out Virtual Safety Car
Hulkenberg pulled off the circuit at Copse corner, bringing out a virtual safety car. Red Bull and Norris took advantage of this, pitting onto fresh tyres. This played perfectly into the Red Bull’s two-stop strategy.
Ferrari decided to keep Leclerc out despite Antonelli closing in very quickly and looking likely to overtake him for the lead.
Antonelli Runs Into Problems
After his pit stop, Antonelli closed in on Charles Leclerc by around a second a lap and was predicted to catch him by Lap 43.
But disaster struck on Lap 42, as Kimi slowed, calling issues over the radio! The Italian pitted for new tyres and a front wing as the team scrambled to figure out the issue. A wheel shield issue on the left-hand side was causing him massive steering issues, but the Championship leader kept going.
Kimi would pit again for the team to remove the broken wheel shield and head on his way. He would come out in 10th place, gaining a potentially valuable point in the Championship.
After this drama, the running order was Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Russel, Norris, Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, Bortoletto and Antonelli.
To make matters worse for the young Italian, he was given a 5-second time penalty for exceeding track limits as he battled his issues. This felt very harsh and highlighted an issue with the rules. These penalties should be kept for drivers gaining an advantage, not just trying to survive an issue.
Verstappen Crashes at Stowe
How much more drama do we deserve?? Max Verstappen crashed at Stowe corner to bring out the safety car with 5 laps to go. Both Ferraris came in for fresh softs to cover off a threat of attack from George Russell, but the Mercedes driver, incredibly, didn’t pit and jumped Hamilton for 2nd.
Charles Leclerc Wins The British Grand Prix
The safety car would not come back into the pits and the race ended behind it, ensuring Charles Leclerc’s victory at the British Grand Prix. Ferrari’s decision to pit Hamilton would come back to bite them, losing him 2nd place and a Ferrari one-two.
An astonishing British Grand Prix, full of twists and turns, drama and huge Championship implications, was on for the books. The drama may not have finished either, as Lewis Hamilton was under investigation for a yellow flag infringement during the safety car period. This would be investigated after the race so he was able to take the podium for the 16th time at his home race.
After one of the most dramatic races in years, the final (on track) order was:
Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, Bortoletto, Colapinto and Gasly.
Championship Battle Closes Up
After all that, both championships closed up. Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the driver’s standings closed to 25 points, from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. In the Constructor’s Ferrari closed on Mercedes to 78 points.
The Championship now moves to Belgium next weekend to continue this epic battle.
Image credit – Formula 1 and Scuderia Ferrari