Introduction
Lewis Hamilton has claimed a long-awaited 2024 Method 1 British Grand Prix victory in an exhilarating race at Silverstone, with the Mercedes driver holding off a problem from Lando Norris to take the win.
Click on right here to subscribe to our print version!
Whereas pole-sitter George Russell had led away from Hamilton because the occasion bought underway, an thrilling battle quickly unfolded between the Mercedes vehicles and the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri amid altering climate circumstances.
The lead modified arms after the opening part of the race when the sphere started to change to intermediate tyres. The skies later grew to become dry, and Hamilton capitalised from pitting for slicks one lap earlier than Norris—who additionally confronted a gradual pit cease—to grow to be the brand new race chief.
Whereas Russell retired with a water system situation – and Max Verstappen snatched P2 from Norris within the latter phases – Hamilton held place to clinch an emotional victory, a document ninth win in a single Grand Prix and his first P1 consequence for the reason that 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Regardless of wanting more and more fast on the arduous tyres within the closing laps, Verstappen didn’t have sufficient time to struggle for the lead and crossed the road in P2 for Pink Bull, whereas Norris accomplished the rostrum in third.
The opposite McLaren of Piastri took fourth, forward of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in fifth and a formidable Nico Hulkenberg in sixth for Haas. It was a greater weekend than late for Aston Martin, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso ending seventh and eighth, respectively, whereas Alex Albon scored two worthwhile factors for Williams in ninth.
Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the highest 10 for RB, with Logan Sargeant lacking out for Williams in P11 from Haas’s Kevin Magnussen in P12, and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo adopted in P13.
It was a disappointing final result for Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari man had earlier made positive aspects however slipped backwards after making an early swap to the intermediate tyres, finally crossing the road in P14.
Valtteri Bottas was the lead Kick Sauber within the fifteenth, whereas Esteban Ocon claimed the sixteenth in a tricky day for Alpine. Sergio Perez, in the meantime, confronted one other powerful outing, ending the day down in seventeenth.
Zhou Guanyu grew to become the ultimate categorized runner in P18 for Kick Sauber, whereas Russell was one among two retirees owing to that aforementioned water system situation.
Pierre Gasly additionally failed to complete, returning to the pits on the finish of the formation lap. It later transpired that the Alpine had been affected by a gearbox downside.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:
We witnessed an interesting Grand Prix on the finish of a busy weekend, that includes an awesome present on the observe and within the grandstands. It was a testing weekend as a result of we examined virtually our complete vary of tyres in numerous circumstances on one of the crucial difficult tracks on the championship calendar.
Proper from Friday, it was evident that every one three dry-weather compounds might play a vital position on this race, and that was confirmed right this moment. When it comes to technique, the pre-race predictions have been kind of revered. Leaving apart the rain, the size of the primary stint on the Mediums and the efficiency of the Laborious for these like Verstappen and Sainz, who used them within the closing stint, demonstrated how a C2/C1 mixture could possibly be very aggressive. The C3 suffered a bit extra, partly as a result of it was utilized in push mode in the direction of the tip of the race on a nonetheless fairly inexperienced observe due to all of the rain this weekend.
The day on the observe:
For Pirelli, this was a really vibrant Grand Prix, a four-colour one, to be exact, as 4 tyre compounds with their distinctive color bands have been introduced into play – crimson for the Smooth, yellow for the Medium, white for the Laborious and inexperienced for the Intermediate and all 4 did the truth is play an vital position in a race the place the observe switched from dry to moist and again once more and with temperatures that different by round ten levels relying on what the climate was doing.
The primary half featured the Medium, utilized by 17 drivers on the grid, the exceptions being Ocon and Zhou, who opted for the Smooth whereas, ranging from pitlane, Perez went with the Laborious. The C2 labored effectively as a result of the drivers might push even when carrying a full gasoline load, whereas it additionally enabled them to handle the difficult circumstances when the rain began to fall. Moreover, the Medium ensured better flexibility as to when to make the primary pit cease, given that the specter of rain had made itself felt even earlier than the beginning.
Then, it was the flip of the Intermediate to take centre stage when the crossover level arrived. Leclerc and Perez had chosen to change to this tyre early and now discovered themselves with a set of worn tyres simply when the observe circumstances have been most suited to them, they usually needed to are available in for a second set. The truth is, there was by no means as a lot water on the observe as yesterday in FP3, which meant the sort of tyre would clearly put on rather more shortly because the observe had dried out. The ultimate half noticed all three dry-weather compounds compete on equal phrases. It was fascinating to look at how, particularly among the many leaders, the assorted car-driver packages have been comfy with completely different compounds: Hamilton took the win for Mercedes with the Smooth, Verstappen and his Pink Bull was quickest on the Laborious. On the identical time, Piastri demonstrated that the Medium could possibly be very aggressive on the McLaren.
What’s subsequent?
The longest season in Method 1 historical past has reached its midpoint, and now there are two extra Grands Prix earlier than the summer time break. They happen in Hungary from 19 to 21 July and in Belgium the next week. On the weekend of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Pirelli can even be working on the eighth spherical of the WRC, Rally Lithuania, and the fourth spherical of the GT World Problem America at Virginia Worldwide Speedway.
This coming Tuesday and Wednesday, the McLaren, Haas, and Williams groups will once more be on observe at Silverstone for a take a look at session to develop 2025 tyre constructions and compounds.
2024 Method 1 British Grand Prix Race Outcomes
PosNoDriverCountryTeamTimePointsOverall
1.44Lewis HamiltonGreat BritainMercedes-AMG Petronas1:22:27.05925110
2.1Max VerstappenNetherlandsRed Bull Racing+1.465s18255
3.4Lando NorrisGreat BritainMclaren Racing+7.547s15171
4.81Oscar PiastriAustraliaMcLaren Racing+12.429s12124
5.55Carlos SainzSpainScuderia Ferrari+47.318s11146
6.27Nico HulkenbergGermanyHaas F1 Staff+55.722s822
7.18Lance StrollCanadaAston Martin F1 Staff+56.569s623
8.14Fernando AlonsoSpainAston Martin F1 Staff+63.577s445
9.45Alexander AlbonThailandWilliams Racing+68.387s24
10.22Yuki TsunodaJapanVisa Money App F1 Staff+79.303s120
11.2Logan SargeantUSAWilliams Racing+88.960s00
12.20Kevin MagnussenDenmarkHaas F1 Staff+90.153s05
13.3Daniel RicciardoAustraliaVisa Money App F1 Staff+1 lap011
14.16Charles LeclercMonacoScuderia Ferrari+1 lap0150
15.77Valtteri BottasFinlandKick Sauber F1 Staff+1 lap00
16.31Esteban OconFranceAlpine F1 Staff+2 laps03
17.11Sergio PerezMexicoRed Bull Racing +2 laps0118
18.24Zhou GuanyuChinaKick Sauber F1 Staff+2 laps00
19.63George RussellGreat BritainMercedes-AMG PetronasDNF0111
20.10Pierre GaslyFranceAlpine F1 TeamDNF06
2024 Constructor Standings
PosTeamPoints
1.Pink Bull Racing373
2.Scuderia Ferrari302
3.McLaren Racing295
4.Mercedes-AMG Petronas221
5.Aston Martin F1 Team68
6.Visa Money App F1 Team31
7.Haas F1 Team27
8.Alpine F1 Team9
9.Williams Racing4
10.Kick Sauber F1 Team0
Listed here are the team-by-team highlights:
