British GP
Spent 4th of July weekend enjoying British sporting events, and I’m not mad about it.
Race 10 Summary
July 3, 2022
We’ve officially crossed the 10th race mark, which is both shocking and easy to believe. On the one hand it feels like this season has been going on forever, and but on the other, how have we had 10 races?! I didn’t watch the race live because my husband was out of town until the evening, and Silverstone is one of those races that should be watched with your loved ones. Last year I watched it with my entire family, so to watch it alone this year just wouldn’t have been fun. So we started the race at 8:00 pm EST, and were in for a long night.
5 lights went out, and the drivers were off. Hamilton got a great jump, shooting past Perez and Leclerc who both had slow starts. Sainz’s reactions were good, but Verstappen’s acceleration was unmatchable.
Within literally 10-15 seconds, the race was red flagged after a scary incident. Zhou Guanyu ended up flipped upside down, sliding across the track, and then wedged in between the safety barrier and the fencing that protects fans. Fortunately, he is okay, and was discharged same day from the race medical center. Several other drivers were involved in the incident, including George Russell, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, and both Alpha Tauris.
After a long red flag, the race restarted under the original starting grid, which sadly meant that Hamilton’s great start was voided. 5 lights went out (again), and Sainz and Verstappen went wheel to wheel. Sainz had the better track position, and was able to fend off Verstappen. Leclerc and Perez were close behind, with Leclerc challenging Verstappen for P2 and making contact. Unfortunately, Hamilton couldn’t get as good of a jump, because the other drivers knew what to expect. He ended up losing ground to Lando Norris, dropping Hamilton to P6. Sergio Perez had also sustained damage to his front wing, as a bit went flying off on lap 3, and forcing him to pit by lap 6. Once Perez was out of the way, Hamilton was able to easily overtake Norris for P4. Carlos Sainz made a mistake and ran wide on lap 10, allowing Verstappen to overtake him for P1. HOWEVER, the Silverstone gods said not today, and Max Verstappen suddenly lost a ton of pace, give Sainz the lead again. They initially thought he had suffered a puncture, but a fresh set of tires didn’t help his pace. After the race, it was revealed that he had a chunk of an Alpha Tauri wedged on his floor. Let me tell you… he was NOT happy. I try not to say that drivers are whiney behind the wheel, because of course their adrenaline is going to make them snappy but… Max was 100% complaining. Nothing his team said made him happy to race. You know what… people gave Hamilton so much crap for asking to retire the car ONCE in Spain, but Max was on the radio for several laps complaining to his team about how un-driveble the car is and he “persevered”… Make it make sense.
We settled in (kinda) for the middle stint of the race, and this is where Hamilton’s talent really shined. He did a great job managing his Medium tires, going long, and leading the race, which I freaking needed to see.
So now’s as good a time as any to discuss the Ferrari kerfuffle. Earlier on (around lap 10 or so), Leclerc was complaining about his teammate, Carlos Sainz’s, pace. Despite some damage that Leclerc was nursing, he was able to hang tight to Sainz’s rear thanks to DRS. Leclerc wanted to be let through, but Ferrari maintained that they would not give orders. They told Sainz to hit a certain lap time, and he generally did. Even when the Ferrari’s were free and clear after Verstappen had to pit, a charging Hamilton had the whole team very concerned. After both Ferraris pitted, Leclerc was still behind his teammate, and complaining. The team yet again told Sainz he wasn’t going fast enough. Sainz asked for 1 more lap to try to hit the target pace, and when he didn’t, he let his teammate go by to give the team their best shot. Esteban Ocon’s stalled out Alpine brought out the Safety Car on lap 39. Sainz and Hamilton (and the majority of drivers on the track) came into the pits for soft tires, but Leclerc did not. Leclerc on old hard tires was now completely vulnerable to every driver behind him. The team asked Sainz to back up the pack to the maximum allowed distance, but he refused, as that would leave him vulnerable too, meaning that both Ferraris would potentially get passed.
So now let’s get to the checkered flag, shall we? After the safety car restart, Leclerc and Sainz went wheel to wheel, while Hamilton and Perez also went wheel to wheel. Perez, we haven’t talked about him since he pitted with damage to his car. Well, the safety car was very kind to him, and gifted him fresh tires. With fresh soft tires, and the great straight-line speed, he was in a tight battle with Hamilton, and definitely had a good chance for a podium. Perez overtook Hamilton, while Sainz overtook Leclerc, but the battles weren’t over yet. I should also mention that Alonso and Norris, who were in P5 and P6 respectively, were also in hot pursuit of Hamilton and Perez after the restart.
I’m not going to do it justice, so watch the wheel to wheel recap of the final 10 laps here. As far as I’m concerned, the race ended with “AND THROUGH GOES HAMILTON!”, let me explain. Sainz was able to get some separation, and build a comfortable lead for himself. Perez cut over the chicane (going fully off track for a moment), when he rejoined the track, Leclerc went wide and he went fully off track. In a moment of driver brilliance, Hamilton shot past them, and the crowd ROARED. If you didn’t watch the race, you may be thinking, “Now Andrea… didn’t you just say 2 cars went off track, and aren’t they supposed to give up their lasting advantage?” To which I say: Yes, yes you are. Did Race Control do anything about it? NOOOOOO. And then, Perez took an aggressive line coming back at Hamilton, and left him no room. Because of that, he and Leclerc were able to overtake Hamilton. To make matters worse, ALONSO (and Norris) freaking caught up to them. Perez was able to speed away while Leclerc and Hamilton battled for P3. Fortunately, Hamilton made a nice move with the assistance of DRS, and secured a home podium finish.
Congratulations to Carlos Sainz on his first ever race win! Perez should have been penalized, and Hamilton should have been P2, but the Stewards said no. Considering how horrendous the W13 has been, and how much Lewis has sacrificed this season, a home podium still feels like a mighty accomplishment, and a race win feels much closer than it did a few weeks ago.
WINNERS AND LOSERS
Winners:
-Haas
-Ferrari
Haas- Double points for the team, and young Mick Schumacher’s first ever points in Formula 1! I completely neglected to describe the wheel to wheel action between Verstappen and Schumacher in the final laps. Verstappen who was butt-hurt about the damage to the car wasn’t about to lose a position to a Haas. He left Mick no room, TWICE, both of which should have earned Verstappen a penalty. Did he get penalized? I’ll let this tell you.
Ferrari- Listen… I think Ferrari really screwed up not pitting Leclerc. I half debated putting them in the losers section for that reason, but… Sainz drove a great race today. Not flawless, but he did what he needed to, and secured the win. P1 and P4 is also a good haul for the team, so all in all a good weekend for them.
Losers:
-Alpine
-Red Bull
Alpine- So, obviously Fernando Alonso had a good race, finishing P5, but Ocon’s retirement cost them a chance at some good points to help them in their Constructors battle with McLaren. The only reason McLaren isn’t down here with them is because both cars finished.
Red Bull(ies)- Listen… y’all are down here because your organization is a mess, and you don’t care. A member of your junior team used a racial slur while live-streaming, and you claimed to have taken a “strong action” against, while all you did was terminate his junior/test driving contract. He’s still able to finish his season in F2, which is honestly ridiculous. Because you spoke with your “actions” you didn’t feel the need to renounce the fact that Nelson Piquet, former F1 driver, and father of Max’s girlfriend, said a racial slur in regards to Hamilton… TWICE. You claim actions speak louder than words, but your actions are weak, the equivalent of silence (or at best a whisper). Your organization’s actions last year following the British GP, led to Hamilton being the target of more racist abuse online. Your an organization of entitled bullies. You do nothing to actually support Hamilton, and you do nothing to further racial justice and equality in the sport or your countries. Hamilton puts in all the work, and you applaud him when he’s behaving the way you want, but as soon as he doesn’t, you turn on him. You’re down here not only did you fail to denounce racism and show support for the only driver of color on the grid, but also because BOTH of your drivers should have received 5 second penalties at the end of the race for pushing their competitors off track. You deserve a poor showing at your home race this weekend in Austria, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to win in front of your home crowd.
My Driver of the Day: Do I really need to say? SIR LEWIS HAMILTON (sorry Carlos, you were my second choice).
FAVORITE F1 CREATORS:
Quick Stop F1: 2022 British GP Review. “Nyasha and Thandie are joined by Tomi who shares some incredible news at the start of the show! We then break down the past week's racism issues within F1 and ask whether the sport is doing enough. Then we ask a few other questions like, are Ferrari a serious team? Why the George Russell hate? And where the f*ck does Checo Perez keep coming from?!”
On the Chicane: 2022 British GP Race Review. “By far, the best race of the season, hands down. Silverstone was a race full of drama; from Zhou's nasty first lap crash, to Verstappen's loss of pace and Carlos Sainz *finally* getting that race win, so much happened! Watch as Paris and Marium breakdown the key moments from the race.”
Brad Philpot: British GP Questions Answered (F1 Through the Visor). “Answering your questions about the driving side of Formula 1. We discuss etiquette, driving standards - and those juicy on-track incidents from the British Grand Prix. Who was at fault? Let's explore!”
>SILVER ARROW POINTS
>Slow pitstop > WTF… Y’all have one good weekend of pitstops, and that’s it? Hamilton’s 4+ second pit stop absolutely cost him a place. Crofty said something funny during the race about that pit stop not meeting Mercedes’s high expectations for excellence/perfection, but I looked to my husband and said “Umm… has he watched Mercedes’s pit stops lately?”
>W13 seems more stable: Hopefully more performance improvements can come now that the bouncing is mostly controlled. There’s also some hope that the W13 design may not need to be abandoned next season if they can dial it in this season.
>Hamilton’s stint on his medium tires was a work of art. PUT IMAGES OF ALL OF HIS FASTEST LAPS IN THE LOUVRE! He’s hunting, and he’s going to give everything he has this season. Please keep putting a good car underneath him, and he will do the rest.
Austria Preview (because this is getting posted literally the night before FP1):
This is the Red Bull Ring… Expect lots of horrible fans, and orange smoke. This is a track that historically has not suited Mercedes, and it likely still won’t. It requires lots of downforce, so likely will be Ferrari or Red Bull battling for the win. This weekend is our second sprint race of the season. Quali for Quali is on Friday, and Sprint Qualifying is on Saturday. Here’s to hoping Mercedes can find some magic this weekend, and upset Red Bull at their own house.