Let’s not overlook what a fantastic job Lewis did to bring the car home at a decent speed.
Agreed. Just another demonstration of the skill set he possesses. I’ve been pretty convinced for some time now that he’s the best driver there’s ever been.
Some on here don’t like him for their own reasons, but there’s no denying he’s an outstanding driver. Definitely superior to Schumacher in my opinion.
I do think Verstappen has the potential to challenge him as GOAT in future years though - he’s matured massively in the last couple of seasons and his best years should be ahead of him.
Jeez that race brightened up for those last few laps!!
Am shocked that Mercedes didnt pit Hamilton after Red Bull brought in Verstappen
This was the surprising bit for me. Once Verstappen was in, I’mThey did not sure why Mercedes didn’t play it safe.
They did. The tyres were clearly falling off a cliff in terms of stability. Verstappen said his tyres were not in a good way so it was the right decision to come in. You would need a crystal ball to do it differently.
Hamilton has a 30 point lead now. That is five races he can afford to come second to Bottas in before that is clawed back. If he avoids mechanical problems, he is in an incredible position in terms of the title.
Jeez that race brightened up for those last few laps!!
Am shocked that Mercedes didnt pit Hamilton after Red Bull brought in Verstappen
This was the surprising bit for me. Once Verstappen was in, I’m not sure why Mercedes didn’t play it safe.
They did. The tyres were clearly falling off a cliff in terms of stability. Verstappen said his tyres were not in a good way so it was the right decision to come in. You would need a crystal ball to do it differently.
I was talking about Mercedes, not Redbull. Once Verstappen had pitted, Hamilton then had enough time to pit for the last lap, but Mercedes chose not to. There was no reason for them to take the risk they did on the final lap.
True but Bottas and Sainz were complaining of vibrations and had visible damage before their left front went whereas Hamilton's tyres were apparently ok. Going into the pits ran the risk of a different sort of problem. Mercedes thought they were ok as Hamilton was driving conservatively in Tyre preservation mode.
It will be interesting to see what Pirelli do next week. Silverstone is tough on tyres as we have seen before.
True but Bottas and Sainz were complaining of vibrations and had visible damage before their left front went whereas Hamilton's tyres were apparently ok. Going into the pits ran the risk of a different sort of problem. Mercedes thought they were ok as Hamilton was driving conservatively in Tyre preservation mode.
It will be interesting to see what Pirelli do next week. Silverstone is tough on tyres as we have seen before.
Yeah, I take your point and I agree that Bottas was complaining more than Hamilton and in theory Hamilton may have been protecting his tyres more. However, he did report a blistered tyre pretty early on, so they surely knew he was in some danger. For the same reason that you stated earlier for Verstappen pitting, Hamilton ought to have come in. The risk of tyres puncturing in this case wasn’t an issue that they could’ve seen gradually creeping up on them - it’s something they could see was a potential danger, but could happen suddenly with no obvious urgent warning (as demonstrated by the timing of Bottas’ situation - if he’d even had 20 seconds warning, he would’ve had time to pit) The risks of pitting for Hamilton would’ve been minimal, especially in these days of efficient choreographed stops, so I disagree that staying out was the right move, but at the end of the day he won, so staying out obviously was correct!
What is interesting is that Pirelli purposely don't make perfect tyres. When tyre companies competed against each other they had to make the best tyres they could, but the aim now is to make racing more interesting by adding options and variables. Having said that, it is not great for Pirelli to have tyres failing within a high profile Grand Prix. It may be damage on the track that caused the problem, but they will not want this happening again next week.
That’s insane. Most people wouldn’t even be able to drive a modern F1 car round a corner without spinning, let alone do that kind of speed on 3 wheels.
That’s insane. Most people wouldn’t even be able to drive a modern F1 car round a corner without spinning, let alone do that kind of speed on 3 wheels.
Yeah, but he can only do that because he has the best car!
Just treated myself to tickets for the British GP next year in the Woodcote grandstand. Managed to get aisle seats which makes going for a piss a lot easier, very important at my age.
Pirelli have said that the issues were that the tyres were used for too many laps. It will be interesting how teams respond to this for the next race. Can Pirelli impose a maximum number of laps on a tyre for safety reasons or can it only be a guide?
Mercedes could adopt a two stop. But then Red Bull may see a one stop as a great way of beating them, so do Mercedes accept that or go for another one stop themselves but go later. But then if there is an early safety car like last week? Maybe history could repeat itself!
Pirelli have said that the issues were that the tyres were used for too many laps. It will be interesting how teams respond to this for the next race. Can Pirelli impose a maximum number of laps on a tyre for safety reasons or can it only be a guide?
Mercedes could adopt a two stop. But then Red Bull may see a one stop as a great way of beating them, so do Mercedes accept that or go for another one stop themselves but go later. But then if there is an early safety car like last week? Maybe history could repeat itself!
I think I read this weekend that the available tyres will be softer and temperatures hotter so hope that forces everyone to 2 stop
I feel a bit for Bottas. The tyre issue really buggered him up and didn't hurt Hamilton at all. Seeing as reliability is pretty good nowadays, a fair development may be that drivers can ditch their two worst results. A DNF is incredibly significant to those fighting at the top as it stands.
I also hope they get to grips with the appalling amount of time it took to clear the two vehicles that spun off into the gravel.
This is always going to be the case when there is less stewards than normal, more protocols to adhere to and strict social distancing guidelines all to take into consideration on top of the usual driver safety procedures when there's a big off
Comments
It will be interesting to see what Pirelli do next week. Silverstone is tough on tyres as we have seen before.
Absolutely mad race
However, he did report a blistered tyre pretty early on, so they surely knew he was in some danger. For the same reason that you stated earlier for Verstappen pitting, Hamilton ought to have come in. The risk of tyres puncturing in this case wasn’t an issue that they could’ve seen gradually creeping up on them - it’s something they could see was a potential danger, but could happen suddenly with no obvious urgent warning (as demonstrated by the timing of Bottas’ situation - if he’d even had 20 seconds warning, he would’ve had time to pit)
The risks of pitting for Hamilton would’ve been minimal, especially in these days of efficient choreographed stops, so I disagree that staying out was the right move, but at the end of the day he won, so staying out obviously was correct!
We’re both right.
😎
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12041856/lewis-hamilton-still-hit-over-140mph-with-punctured-tyre-at-british-gp
that said, if the Pirelli’s on my ordinary car delaminate in the motorway I’ll be pretty pissed off and it’s not a great advert is it?
Mercedes could adopt a two stop. But then Red Bull may see a one stop as a great way of beating them, so do Mercedes accept that or go for another one stop themselves but go later. But then if there is an early safety car like last week? Maybe history could repeat itself!
https://www.fia.com/news/f1-renault-protest-decision
tonight I had
table x6 Williams
2xtables 4 Ferrari
table x 5 racing point
2 x tables 5 JCB
around 15 different people in from sky!