The Grand Prix at Silverstone last Sunday was a good one, with great excitement at the end due to Valtteri Bottas first blowing his left front tyre and then Lewis Hamilton doing the same on the very last lap.
Unfortunately, Max Verstappen’s team pulled him into the pits when he was in a safe third place to have a go at the fastest lap and earn an extra point, which he achieved.
If only he could have known that Hamilton would slow drastically during the last lap, he might well have won the race.
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I agree with motor racing enthusiast Roger Downard that, compared to his teammates, he has the luck Michael Schumacher had in his racing days.
Like Schumacher’s teammates, Bottas was not so lucky.
So, Verstappen came in second just a few seconds behind Lewis Hamilton while Charles Leclerc did an excellent job to come home in third place.
His skill and determination is visually apparent as he virtually carried his uncompetitive Ferrari onto the podium.
In fourth place was the smiling Daniel Ricciardo from Down Under. There was nothing down about his achievement.
Esteban Ocon in the second Renault showed us that the recent rise in performance of the French team was not just chance as he finished in a solid sixth position.
Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, both Honda powered, finished very close together in seventh and eighth places respectively, just a second and a half apart at the chequered flag.
In ninth and tenth places were Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel, who had difficult races and finished nine seconds apart.
Hamilton’s win now gives him a total of seven wins at his home grand prix, quite a feat!
Hamilton has a tally of 87 grand prix wins and seems destined to break Schumacher’s record of 91. Perhaps he will hit the magic century.
We stay at the famous Silverstone track for the Emirates Grand Prix this Sunday (9th) where, if conditions are very hot again, there will be much more conservative choices made regarding tyres at this very demanding high speed track.
I actually predict that tyre strategy might determine the result of the race.
Let us hope that the Flying Dutchman can catch up with the Brilliant Brit!
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