2014 British Grand Prix: Top 10 Readers’ Results!

The ninth Grand Prix of the season, at Silverstone, was won by Lewis Hamilton ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo. The rest of the top 10 included, in order, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hülkenberg, Daniil Kvyat, and Jean-Eric Vergne. Let’s see if the 169 voters followed the race order…

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 25 points

Starting sixth in the initial start and fourth at the restart, the Brit didn’t slack off to move up to second position, behind Nico Rosberg who was keen to build a 5-second gap. Subsequently, his decision to switch to hard tires seemed to be the right one, but his teammate’s retirement turned his attacking race into a management race towards victory.

2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 18 points

After failing to qualify, the Spaniard delivered an aggressive race, admittedly helped by the red flag that allowed him to switch from hard tires to faster medium ones at a lower cost. However, despite a subsequent 5-second penalty, the Ferrari driver nearly reached the top 5 but had to concede to Sebastian Vettel after an intense battle.

3. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) – 15 points

Second consecutive podium for the Finn who, like Alonso, had to attack from start to finish to compensate for a failed qualification, at the wheel of a very high-performing car. With great efficiency, the driver with number 77 quickly made his way to the podium, reaching third place by the 16th lap.

4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) – 12 points

This may be THE tactical move of this race: while committed to a two-stop strategy, the Australian driver informs his team that his tires are holding up well and he wants to stay on the track longer. Bet won, tire degradation is contained and, quietly, he slips onto the podium just ahead of Button.

5. Jenson Button (McLaren) – 10 points

After a well-managed qualifying session and a successful initial start, the Briton dressed in pink at Silverstone was unable to counter the comebacks of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in faster cars. Daniel Ricciardo’s strategic choice relegated him to fourth place and, despite a storming return, he fell just tenths short of the podium.

6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 8 points

Started on pole in the first start and leading during the restart – which he managed masterfully by relegating Button to nearly two seconds behind at the timing line – the German seemed well on his way to finishing at least among the top two in this race. However, a gearbox problem – his first “fatal” technical issue – ended his race and reduced his championship lead to almost nothing.

7. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) – 6 points

His strong qualifying session was somewhat negated by a very average start that relegated him to 5th position. From there, the development of his two-stop strategy did not allow him to regain the lost advantage over Button or Ricciardo. It was in an incredibly intense battle with Alonso that the four-time champion was able to express himself the most during this race, clinching the top 5 despite constant defense.

8. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren) – 4 points

Like his teammate, the young Dane managed his start well and handled his restart correctly, but a small mistake at Copse prevented him from defending his position against Hamilton a bit more. Subsequently, his race seemed duller than that of his teammate. He was unable to take advantage of the battle between Alonso and Vettel to catch up with the two men, finishing in a modest 7th place.

9. Nico Hülkenberg (Force India) – 2 points

His qualification was a bright spot in a weekend that the Indian team expected to be difficult. His average start forced him into defense against faster drivers: although he was able to hold off Ricciardo for a while, allowing Alonso to easily pass both men, he ultimately couldn’t do anything against the Australian and finished his race ahead of the two Toro Rossos, entering the points for the ninth time of the season, in nine races.

10. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) – 1 point

Chaotic new start for the Parisian who had a collision with Sergio Pérez in the second corner. We thought he was set for another difficult race, but he fought hard from his 17th position at the time of the restart, with a high-performing car and was able to reach the top 10 to claim the last point available.

Update on the reader rankings