LB Race Review: Round 10 - Silverstone
Hamilton Domination
Overtake of the Day
HE: Verstappen (vs Vettel) - Verstappen showed what a talent he is (again) holding off Vettel who was in a much faster car. Sebastian couldn't find a way past which forced him to pit early and eventually caused his puncture.
BH: Verstappen (vs Vettel) – After his recent bad luck with retirements, Verstappen would’ve been excused for backing out of a challenge with Vettel on the opening lap, but that would have been the least Verstappen thing ever. Instead, he made a daring overtake around the outside that would ultimately compromise the rest of the race for Seb. Fantastic stuff.
SS: Verstappen (vs Vettel) – I would love to offer up a different answer to Ben, but that battle between Max and Seb was just awesome to watch. New vs old. Max displaying why he will be a champion in the future and Seb proving he really can push a car to the edge and fight toe to toe on the track for the points. More, more, more!
Overacheiver of the Day
HE: Nico Hulkenberg - In a weekend where Hamilton dominated, Hulkenberg put in a stellar performance which went slightly under the radar. 6th place was pretty much the best result he could get and was best of the rest.
BH: Daniel Ricciardo – 20th to 5th. Not bad at all. Ricciardo had a tough task at the start of the day, but carved his way through the field like an Australian hot knife through Australian butter. Catching up to, and overtaking, Hulkenberg seemed like a daunting task with laps running out, but he put in some stonking laps to put up some good points.
SS: Nico Hulkenberg – 6th place finish. Not only did Nico manage to control the very precarious conditions in qualifying to give his Renault an excellent chance in the race, one would argue much higher than it should actually be but he managed to avoid all the drama going on around him, execute a well-timed strategy and bring it home in a very strong 6th place in a car that should barely be making the points.
Underachiever of the day
HE: Danil Kyvat - The torpedo strikes again. And it had to be with his teammate. Oh Danil.
BH: Daniil Kvyat – Could’ve gone for Seb but Kvyat’s opening lap was the opposite of what he needed after Austria. His qualifying performance was solid enough but battling with his teammate was risky and I think it ultimately must be deemed Kvyat’s fault for the crash. He needs to pick up his game quickly before he torpedoes himself out of F1 at the end of the season.
SS: Sebastian Vettel – Ben may not go for the German but I will. When you’re leading a championship battle and you’re in arguably the best car on the grid, scrapping away with lesser cars and not being able to cut through traffic just isn’t enough. It was a poor drive through-out the weekend, Saturday wasn’t good enough especially and it left him vulnerable. Max did brilliantly to hamper the German but that car is more than fast enough and Seb should have dispatched of the threat sooner. A lost chance to minimize damage from an incredible Lewis performance.
Driver of the Day
HE: Daniel Ricciardo - A disappointing drive turned into a mighty race from the Aussie. He was last at one point and made his way up through the field, mainly on pace alone to finish a place behind his teammate.
BH: Valtteri Bottas – Toss-up between him and Danny Ricc. If you’d have given Bottas a 2nd place finish before the race I think he would’ve bitten your hand off (#CannibalFinn). Making his way through the field in a composed manner, it looked as if 3rd would be his result, but Raikkonen’s late troubles meant he picked up 18 points from the weekend. For anyone who thinks this is a 2 horse race, I think you’re wrong.
SS: Lewis Hamilton – How can it be anyone else? The home crowd wanted a performance and by the beard of Zeus did the man deliver. He had the clean slate, qualy, first and fastest lap. He dominated the timing screens and avoided any issues with traffic or those behind by pulling away calmly at the start. Of course to top it off he decided to crowd surf with the fans which I think is bloody lovely to see. People are moaning way too much and I’m a tad tired of it, the man is a fantastic talent and hasn’t thrown his toys out of his pram in years. Relax and actually enjoy what the man brings to the sport, because what he displayed this weekend was phenomenal.
Overall Thoughts
HE: I love the British GP. Liberty Media would be crazy to let it go. We are now halfway through the season and the top two are separated by a point, with Bottas firmly in the mix. Top drawer stuff.
BH: The British Grand Prix really is one of a kind and the spectacle that was on display this weekend proves that the future of the race needs to be resolved as soon as possible. The race itself was pretty good, maybe not the absolute best of the year so far but certainly up there. I’d have watched just for the thrilling finale. 1 point now separates Seb and Lewis with Bottas lurking behind. F1 2017 continues to impress!
SS: Best fans in the world. The screams and cheers you could hear all around the circuit was incredible. Many overtakes, the threat of the weather change and incredible feeling of a home driver winning their home grand prix. This race is what F1 is all about, I was shouting at the screen and loving every minute. Bring on Hungary!
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