Great Britain – Race: Lewis Hamilton Triumphs at Home, Nico Rosberg Knocked Out

At the time of departure, there is no trace of the rain that disrupted yesterday’s qualifying, even though the official weather forecast indicates a 30% chance of rain during the race. All the drivers are obviously starting on slicks, on a grid that has seen many changes due to various penalties. The temperatures are relatively cool, with the air at 17°C and the track at 33°C, which should not excessively damage the tires. The two Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen, are the only ones choosing to start on hard tires. All the others are on mediums.

At the start, Nico Rosberg gets off to a perfect start, but that’s not the case for Sebastian Vettel. He is overtaken by Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton once again starts very well and reaches Sebastian Vettel’s level to take 4th place. But it’s behind where things get complicated: Jean-Eric Vergne spins Sergio Perez’s Force India around. Both drivers find themselves at the back of the pack.

But more importantly, Kimi Räikkönen runs wide at the beginning of the back straight. As the Finn attempts to return to the track, he lifts off on a bump, which destabilizes his car and sends him into the wall! He is then thrown back into the middle of the track. Felipe Massa cannot avoid him but manages to turn his Williams sideways; the Ferrari thus suffers a second impact, less violent than it could have been. The safety car immediately arrives on site, and the 2007 world champion limps towards it. He goes to the medical center, where it’s reported that there are no fractures but he has sore ankles. This incident could have been much worse without the incredible reflex of Kamui Kobayashi, who manages to control his Caterham along the wall, on the grass.

Given the amount of debris on the track, the decision is made to present the red flag, which will lead to a second start. This allows Felipe Massa to bring his damaged Williams back to the starting grid where mechanics will have work to do. But due to the extent of the damage at the rear of his car, he has to retire right after the first lap of his 200th Grand Prix.

Repairs are necessary on the safety rail into which Kimi Räikkönen crashed. This causes a long interruption. Meanwhile, Max Chilton receives a drive-through penalty for bringing his car into the pit lane while it was closed due to the red flag. However, since his Marussia is damaged, it is probably a blessing in disguise for the Briton, although he loses the benefit of his 10th place to his teammate.

The new top 10 on the grid is therefore: Rosberg, Button, Magnussen, Hamilton, Vettel, Hülkenberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Bottas, and Bianchi. The stewards announce that the field will restart behind the safety car one hour after the original start. The two Red Bulls, Vergne, Perez, and Grosjean have decided to go straight for the hard tires while Alonso has switched to mediums.

The restart goes smoothly. Lewis Hamilton only needed half a lap to overtake Kevin Magnussen’s McLaren. He is already third. He doesn’t stay there long as he overtakes his former teammate Jenson Button on the next lap. Both Mercedes are once again firmly leading the pack, but Nico Rosberg has already built a five-second lead over his teammate.

On his side, Fernando Alonso is making a strong comeback as by the 4th lap he is already in the points, in 10th place. Jules Bianchi is currently managing to keep both Sauber cars behind him. The Spaniard is on a rampage as he then overtakes Kvyat and Ricciardo, who was trying to overtake Nico Hülkenberg. He will also pass the German two laps later. By the 7th lap, he is already in 7th place, but he could lose everything for having exceeded his grid marks at the first start…

At the end of the 9th lap, Esteban Gutierrez attempts to slip in front of Pastor Maldonado, who was himself attacking Jules Bianchi. But just like in Bahrain, things go wrong between the two South Americans, and this time it’s the Venezuelan who takes off on the Mexican’s front right wheel. Both drivers continue on their way, but at the first corner, the Sauber driver can no longer turn. He therefore abandons in the gravel trap.

In lap 13, the penalty is handed down for Fernando Alonso: he must serve a 5-second stop-and-go for not respecting his grid position. The Spaniard’s impressive comeback is thus reduced to nothing. Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas continues his own: he overtakes Kevin Magnussen to gain 5th place after starting 14th on the grid.

Three laps later, the Finn makes another superb overtake on Jenson Button’s McLaren to claim the last spot on the podium. In front of him, the two Mercedes are locked in a fierce battle as Lewis Hamilton gradually closes in on his teammate. They decide to extend the leader’s stint to allow him to continue pushing hard. But it doesn’t seem to be enough as the gap narrows to 2.8 seconds when Nico Rosberg comes into the pits on lap 18. The gap is already so significant with the cars behind the two Mercedes that the German rejoins in second place, more than 14 seconds ahead of the Williams.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso, who still hasn’t served his stop-and-go penalty, is in the gearbox of Jenson Button. But Nico Rosberg seems to be having trouble downshifting his gears, although his lap times remain very good. So good that he sets the fastest lap of the race in the 21st lap.

Far behind, Daniel Ricciardo finally managed to overtake Nico Hülkenberg? The Australian is in 8th place, behind his teammate.

As people began to wonder if Lewis Hamilton would attempt to make only one pit stop, he enters the pit lane on the 25th lap. Once again, his stop goes less smoothly than his teammate’s. He was held for 1.4 seconds longer than Nico Rosberg, who thus retakes the lead, due to a problem with the left rear. The gap has increased to 5.9 seconds. This further motivates the Briton, who immediately sets the fastest lap of the race.

At mid-race, the top 10 is therefore Rosberg, Hamilton, Bottas, Button, Vettel, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Alonso, Kvyat.

But Fernando Alonso is still just as fierce: he overtakes Nico Hülkenberg on the 27th lap while Lewis Hamilton continues his series of very fast laps. He’s literally closing in on his teammate, gaining up to a second in just the first sector of lap 28! The reason is that the German can no longer downshift lower than 4th gear! This allows the Englishman to take the lead, much to the delight of the Silverstone crowd! The championship leader then parks his car on the grass in the 29th lap. This completely reinvigorates the championship… if Lewis Hamilton makes it to the finish line.

Valtteri Bottas stops on lap 31. He rejoins the race behind Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull but manages to overtake the German two laps later. Vettel then pits and emerges just ahead of Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen. The Spaniard seizes the first opportunity available and overtakes on the outside on the old start-finish straight. A very impressive move by the double Spanish champion, who is once again 5th. This doesn’t discourage the German, and the battle continues for several laps without the Red Bull driver finding a way through.

As for Adrian Sutil, who was holding the 11th place, he has to deal with brake issues. He must therefore let Perez pass, and the two Lotuses close in on him.

On the 41st lap, Lewis Hamilton goes back to the pits. He leaves far ahead of everyone.

Behind him, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are not giving each other an inch. They are rediscovering the joy of their past battles. They do not hesitate to radio in the other’s off-track excursions, but this does not take away from the magnificent spectacle the two champions have offered us. With five laps to go, the German finally finds an opening by going side by side down the old pit straight before taking the inside at Copse. In the process, the Spaniard does not hide his displeasure on the radio, but the damage is done.

Pastor Maldonado’s engine gave up on him with two laps to go while he was in 14th place. Towards the end of the race, Jenson Button closed in significantly on Daniel Ricciardo, but it wasn’t enough to get him onto the podium.

In the end, the ranking is therefore Hamilton, Bottas, Ricciardo, Button, Vettel, Alonso, Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Kvyat, and Vergne.