Great Britain – Race: Lewis Hamilton, King of England
In front of his home crowd, Lewis Hamilton took another victory, overcoming all the pitfalls of a Grand Prix made difficult by the rain that fell just minutes before the start. He closed the gap on Nico Rosberg, who finished second in the race.
A few minutes before the start, heavy rain falls on the Silverstone circuit, making track conditions difficult. It doesn’t take much more for the race management to choose to start the drivers behind the safety car! Marcus Ericsson, who had an accident during FP3 and didn’t participate in the qualifying, will nevertheless start from the pit lane driving his Sauber.
The race stewards have confirmed that the #BritishGP will start behind a Safety Car following heavy rain ☔☔ pic.twitter.com/FhVnpkHMhv
— Formula 1 (@F1) 10 juillet 2016
It’s only after a few laps that the safety car lets the pack of single-seaters take off, but on a drying track, many drivers pit to switch to intermediate tires after the rain tires, used at the start, become less useful.
Only the two Mercedes and Max Verstappen, in the lead positions of the race, decide not to enter the pits. They will, however, take the opportunity of a virtual safety car to make their stop and thus maintain their position. Indeed, Pascal Wehrlein was caught off guard by a puddle and crashes his Manor at Abbey.
LAP 8/52: VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR – Wehrlein’s race is over at Abbey #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/NC4t9MtvU1
— Formula 1 (@F1) 10 juillet 2016
Pérez is also the big winner with this virtual safety car as he places his Force India in 4th position, ahead of a Daniel Ricciardo who is clearly lacking in pace.
All the drivers are trying to maintain the best racing lines on a track that is starting to become favorable for a switch to slick tires. It is precisely Sebastian Vettel, stuck in the pack, who will be the first to opt for Hard tires, but he will immediately lose the benefit of his good strategic choice by spinning his Ferrari just two laps after exiting the pits and right after setting the fastest lap in the race. He then drops back beyond 10th place.
The other drivers quickly imitate Vettel, and soon the entire field is equipped with dry track tires. A few drivers, including some big names, make mistakes at the exit of turn number 1. Some manage with brilliance, like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, or Kimi Räikkönen, while others are a bit less fortunate like Fernando Alonso or Carlos Sainz, who still manage to get back on track.
LAP 25/52
ALO = 🔄 😣 🔄
Amazingly he recovers and is able to continue #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/PUtJQDXirj
— Formula 1 (@F1) 10 juillet 2016
As Romain Grosjean abandons his Haas on the side of the track due to a gearbox problem, the battle for 2nd place becomes very intense between Max Verstappen and Nico Rosberg. The German driver struggles to overtake the Red Bull but eventually finds a way through on the 39th lap.
LAP 39/52: After a prolonged chase, ROS finally manages to get past VES and wrestles back P2 #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/hXvCrFX76d
— Formula 1 (@F1) 10 juillet 2016
In the lead, Lewis Hamilton manages his advantage brilliantly, and his slight off-track moment at turn number 1 will not prevent the Briton from claiming his 4th victory on home soil, the second in a row after his win in Austria this season, which brings him within 4 points of Nico Rosberg in the championship.
The German nevertheless finishes second in the race, despite a gearbox problem at the end of the race. His ranking remains under investigation by the stewards for a suspicious radio exchange with his engineer. Max Verstappen completes the podium of this British Grand Prix.
The final ranking of the race:
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (LAP 52/52): 👍 👊 👏 💪 Champion drive from @LewisHamilton #BritishGP 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/JOK6JJPL5B
— Formula 1 (@F1) 10 juillet 2016
