By Joe Murphy
A firm candidate for race of the year took place at Silverstone in what was 52 laps of frantic chaos that ensued from the minute the event started. A red flag within seconds of the start sort of set the pace for a Grand Prix you were unable to look away from. There is much to delve into, so let’s crack on…
Sainz’s Super Success at Silverstone
Carlos Sainz may have waited a century and a half of races to do so, but this weekend saw the Spaniard take his first victory in the sport. A well-deserved pole position on a wet Saturday afternoon, the ‘Smooth Operator’ had multiple setbacks en route to his maiden Formula 1 win. After handing the lead to Max Verstappen by the first corner, it was the Ferrari driver who benefited from the serious incidents that occurred behind him, moving back above George Russell in the Championship Standings as a result of his 25 points gained here. As a result of the cars having not gone beyond the second safety car line at the time of the red flag being shown, Sainz was able to remain at the front of the grid for the restart, which occurred nearly an hour later. After holding off Max and the chasing pack successfully on a temporary basis, the Dutchman did eventually pass his target, leaving Sainz to the mercy of his faster teammate behind.
After the first round of pit stops, Sainz was forced to give the position to his teammate due to the threat of a resurgent Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes. With a dozen laps to go, Estaban Ocon’s Alpine pulled over in a precarious position, leading to an impromptu safety car. Leclerc, who was leading after Max Verstappen’s Red Bull encountered floor damage, remained out on the hard compound tyre, with second-placed Sainz and Lewis opting to come in for softs. This decision proved inspired, as Carlos passed his teammate with relative ease after Leclerc got them all going again, despite team orders advising the contrary. All he needed was to masterfully keep his composure to see out the handful of remaining laps, and he did so majestically. For Carlos, this is a long-awaited victory that was fully deserved given the circumstances. The British Grand Prix was a spectacle for a multitude of reasons. This is an example of one.
Title contenders have a mixed day…
As already referenced, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc would have been hoping for better from Sunday’s events. Max had held the lead twice, but was ultimately thwarted by some stray debris that caused permanent damage to his floor and caused his Red Bull to lose any sort of downforce for the remaining half of the race. He spent the latter stages of the race battling with Mick Schumacher, as he held on for only seventh and a handful of points. Silverstone is a track where success has eluded him to date. For Leclerc, the Ferrari suffered from the timing of the safety car. He barely held onto fourth place, with Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris among those pestering him right until the end. As for the man who is currently in second place in the Driver’s Standings, Sergio Perez, he constructed a remarkable recovery drive to be the runner-up of the Grand Prix. Following an issue early on with his front wing, the Mexican had to pit and came out dead last after only a handful of laps. He was one of the drivers, however, to take advantage of the safety car, with the Red Bull man being the only one at the time who needed to stop again. He then traded places with Leclerc and Hamilton over the remaining laps, but the Driver of the Day ultimately came out ahead. A decent points haul, all things considered.
13th time not so unlucky for Lewis and George’s streak ends…
Lewis Hamiton claimed his 185th podium, a mere fortnight after his 184th arrived in Canada. In front of his adoring home fans, the British driver looked to be in with a chance of winning, after a stellar stint on the medium tyres kept him at the pace of the Ferrari pair. At the aforementioned safety car restart, he couldn’t quite get the grip to challenge Sainz for top honours, but a mighty battle with Perez and Leclerc occurred, with the trio trading places on multiple occasions in the closing stages. Solid points in the end for one Mercedes driver. However, his compatriot across the garage couldn’t boast the same. George Russell was caught up in the opening turn incident, which ended his race before it had properly begun. Having edged left, his back wheel clipped Pierre Gasly’s front right. The Frenchman was making his way through the middle and ended up getting squeezed between Russell’s Mercedes and Guanyu Zhou’s Alfa Romeo. As a result of the contact, the Brit was sent into the younger Chinese driver’s car, which sent him flying into the Upside Down, as if on Netflix’s Stranger Things. George’s car was damaged, and although he did attempt to make the restart, his request was denied. Fans may not have known that the Mercedes driver ran over to help his flipped friend, with replays being at a premium following the incident. On a day where a lot happened, it has been overlooked that he failed to finish in the top five for the first time since his move to the Silver Arrows. Considering what could have been following such an incident, I’m sure it’s not a major concern.
Zhou and Albon show a necessity for the Halo…
It wasn’t just Zhou and Russell who had their race ended prematurely. Alex Albon was caught up in a collision of his own, just a few metres to the right. In a tangle that damaged Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin and nearly ended Estaban Ocon’s race, the Williams car was sent hurtling into the side barrier before making some form of contact with just about everyone else. He was indeed taken to nearby Coventry Hospital, but has since posted on social media that he is fairing OK. The same can be said for Zhou, who remarkably went one further by actually returning to the paddock before the end of lap 52. When you see the pictures and videos of the incident, it is nothing short of miraculous that a man who skidded over 100 metres upside down before launching over the safety barrier and into the crowd, got out largely unscathed. The Alfa Romeo man was not the only driver to praise the Halo for saving his life. To think that only a decade ago it wasn’t in the sport and that, around five years ago, people were still debating its inclusion in Formula 1. Now, the debate has been well and truly put to rest.
Mick has established a point… or four!
Before this final entry, I want to pay respect to some drivers who will get overlooked with everything that happened at the British track. Sebastian Vettel had an incredible race and finished P9, four places behind Fernando Alonso, who also had an excellent day. At various points across the afternoon, Lando Norris was in major contention for a podium, before eventually finishing just behind Fernando. Finally, Nicolas Latifi had arguably his best weekend in Formula 1. He may have crossed the finish line agonisingly short of his second ever points finish, but he made Q3 and was competitive throughout. However, final plaudits must go to a man who has taken a lot of criticism in the opening stages of this 2022 season. Mick Schumacher claimed his first points in the sport, ending a drought that had surpassed 30 races. The German’s position in F1 has come under intense scrutiny, particularly in recent months, and this will give him a major confidence boost in his efforts to remain in the sport beyond December. Right towards the end, he was Wheel2Wheel racing with Max Verstappen, and was perhaps unfortunate to not pass the current World Champion. Everybody on the current grid has now scored points in the sport. This is something we haven’t been able to say in a while. Haas supporters were overjoyed when Kevin Magnussen made it the first double points finish for the team in years with his P10 result. So, yeah, not much happened yesterday!
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