Introduction
Lewis Hamilton has claimed a long-awaited 2024 Formulation 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.
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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 situations.
The lead modified fingers after the opening section of the race when the sector started to modify to intermediate tyres. The skies later turned dry, and Hamilton capitalised from pitting for slicks one lap earlier than Norris—who additionally confronted a sluggish pit cease—to turn into the brand new race chief.
Whereas Russell retired with a water system concern – and Max Verstappen snatched P2 from Norris within the latter levels – Hamilton held place to clinch an emotional victory, a file ninth win in a single Grand Prix and his first P1 end result for the reason that 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Regardless of trying more and more fast on the arduous tyres within the ultimate 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 powerful 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 priceless 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 end result for Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari man had earlier made positive aspects however slipped backwards after making an early change to the intermediate tyres, ultimately 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 robust outing, ending the day down in seventeenth.
Zhou Guanyu turned the ultimate labeled runner in P18 for Kick Sauber, whereas Russell was certainly one of two retirees owing to that aforementioned water system concern.
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 drawback.
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:
We witnessed an enchanting Grand Prix on the finish of a busy weekend, that includes a terrific present on the observe and within the grandstands. It was a testing weekend as a result of we examined nearly our total vary of tyres in numerous situations on some of the difficult tracks on the championship calendar.
Proper from Friday, it was evident that each one three dry-weather compounds might play a vital function on this race, and that was confirmed at present. By way of technique, the pre-race predictions had been roughly revered. Leaving apart the rain, the size of the primary stint on the Mediums and the efficiency of the Exhausting for these like Verstappen and Sainz, who used them within the ultimate 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 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 had been introduced into play – crimson for the Comfortable, yellow for the Medium, white for the Exhausting and inexperienced for the Intermediate and all 4 did in truth play an vital function in a race the place the observe switched from dry to moist and again once more and with temperatures that diverse 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 Comfortable whereas, ranging from pitlane, Perez went with the Exhausting. The C2 labored nicely as a result of the drivers might push even when carrying a full gasoline load, whereas it additionally enabled them to handle the difficult situations when the rain began to fall. Moreover, the Medium ensured larger 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 modify to this tyre early and now discovered themselves with a set of worn tyres simply when the observe situations had 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 such a tyre would clearly put on rather more rapidly because the observe had dried out. The ultimate half noticed all three dry-weather compounds compete on equal phrases. It was attention-grabbing to watch how, particularly among the many leaders, the assorted car-driver packages had been comfy with totally different compounds: Hamilton took the win for Mercedes with the Comfortable, Verstappen and his Pink Bull was quickest on the Exhausting. On the identical time, Piastri demonstrated that the Medium could possibly be very aggressive on the McLaren.
What’s subsequent?
The longest season in Formulation 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 may also 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 Formulation 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 Workforce+55.722s822
7.18Lance StrollCanadaAston Martin F1 Workforce+56.569s623
8.14Fernando AlonsoSpainAston Martin F1 Workforce+63.577s445
9.45Alexander AlbonThailandWilliams Racing+68.387s24
10.22Yuki TsunodaJapanVisa Money App F1 Workforce+79.303s120
11.2Logan SargeantUSAWilliams Racing+88.960s00
12.20Kevin MagnussenDenmarkHaas F1 Workforce+90.153s05
13.3Daniel RicciardoAustraliaVisa Money App F1 Workforce+1 lap011
14.16Charles LeclercMonacoScuderia Ferrari+1 lap0150
15.77Valtteri BottasFinlandKick Sauber F1 Workforce+1 lap00
16.31Esteban OconFranceAlpine F1 Workforce+2 laps03
17.11Sergio PerezMexicoRed Bull Racing +2 laps0118
18.24Zhou GuanyuChinaKick Sauber F1 Workforce+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 below are the team-by-team highlights: