Grand Prix 2019 British Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

*Engage grumpy mode*

With no deal in place for 2020 this could well be the last British Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone for the foreseeable future. News stories out today suggest Liberty is now actively pursuing a London Street race to replace Silverstone for next year. This is just criminal in my opinion, the removal of good race tracks in place of street tracks and all for the purpose of money is just driving F1 into oblivion. Lets see how this one develops. Hopefully it is just a negotiating tactic by Liberty.

Strange one for me this race, I have lots of happy memories of visits and I love watching the coverage of what I truly think is one of the best tracks on the calendar. Yet actually visiting Silverstone is a mixed bag, yes the race is good, great views over a large percentage of the track, but the facilities particuarly for campers have always been under invested and a poor experience. In someways I can see why Liberty want to give them a kick up the ass just as Bernie did several times over the years.

I've been to Silverstone 5 times over the years but after the mud baths in 2011 and 2012 I swore I wasn't going back unless they put proper roads in the camp sites. They still haven't. I guess it's all irrelevant now, if the F1 circus is heading to London in the future it really will be a sport only for the rich as you will not only have the ticket cost but London hotel prices to add in as well. For old time sake I have added a link to my 2012 post below, lots of nice photos and a diary. GL's Silverstone Diary

*grumpy mode cancel*

On a lighter note.

What can we expect from this weekend? Well free live race coverage YAY. It's the only CH4 race to be shown in full and live for every session this year. Also if you love seeing Mercedes win, and who doesn't, I suspect that Mercedes will be back on top as they have always done well here in recent years with the exception of last year as Lewis ended up at the back after a first lap collision. Indeed Mercedes have won 5 out of the last 6 races here and Lewis has won 4 out of the last 5. Ferrari may need a bit of luck as they had last year if they are to win again.

TV times

So on with the show.

 

[Dartman]

Interesting it took Lewis 13 years to beat a record set in 7 years and in a car that has been in a class of its own for about 6 years.

 

[Publius Cornelius Scipio]

I only watch the first 20 minutes of the race today ...

Once again, the TV coverage director showed what a cluess spanner he or she is. ...

Stop showing the crowd. No one gives a shit what is going on in the stands.

I only watched 20 minutes because we went to Tuscany to see the inlaws and I was hoping to avoid spending the whole afternoon in a traffic jam so we left early (it didn't work out, I was stuck in traffic for hours), the tv coverage was shocking, especially the Leclerc-Verstappen pit stop... why showing us the cheering mechanics? does anyone care? I personally don't, I would have rather watched a very intersting battle between the drivers. Also I get very frustrated wityh all the fuss with minor celebrities being portraied as huge crowd stoppers, I guess that everyone at Silverstone and all the tv viewers couldn't care less about Daniel Craig, what we wanted was some hard racing.

Having said that during the first 20 minutes of the race Leclerc and Verstappen kept me entertained. there are a couple of things that I can't quite figure out about that race: how could Hamilton manage to build such an advantage if befreo the first pit stop he was behind Bottas (and losing ground)? what happened to Leclerc? why was he behind Vettel and Verstappen when Vettel made that (silly) mistake? how could Sainz finish 6th and Norris 11th?

 

[Angel]

I only watched 20 minutes because we went to Tuscany to see the inlaws and I was hoping to avoid spending the whole afternoon in a traffic jam so we left early (it didn't work out, I was stuck in traffic for hours), the tv coverage was shocking, especially the Leclerc-Verstappen pit stop... why showing us the cheering mechanics? does anyone care? I personally don't, I would have rather watched a very intersting battle between the drivers. Also I get very frustrated wityh all the fuss with minor celebrities being portraied as huge crowd stoppers, I guess that everyone at Silverstone and all the tv viewers couldn't care less about Daniel Craig, what we wanted was some hard racing.

Having said that during the first 20 minutes of the race Leclerc and Verstappen kept me entertained. there are a couple of things that I can't quite figure out about that race: how could Hamilton manage to build such an advantage if befreo the first pit stop he was behind Bottas (and losing ground)? what happened to Leclerc? why was he behind Vettel and Verstappen when Vettel made that (silly) mistake? how could Sainz finish 6th and Norris 11th?

I wasn't interested in Daniel Craig, nor the mechanics in the pit cheering, nor the crowd scenes when they away from the action. I don't know who is in charge of that kind of thing but they need a swift kick to focus their mind on the fact we want to see actual racing, that's what we watch it for after all!!!

Leclerc and Bottas both lost out big time due to the safety car when Giovinazzi crashed out. Hamilton and Vettel took full advantage of the safety car to pit and it gave them both a huge gain on their team mates. Hamilton used it and the clean air plus track advantage he then had to the fullest degree and Vettel.... he squandered it by making yet another mistake I can't tell you about Sainz and Norris, maybe someone else can fill you in on that, I didn't really see what happened with them either but it could have been the same situation for them too, I'm not sure.

 

[Publius Cornelius Scipio]

Leclerc and Bottas both lost out big time due to the safety car when Giovinazzi crashed out. Hamilton and Vettel took full advantage of the safety car to pit and it gave them both a huge gain on their team mates.

thanks Angel, I didn't know that there was an SC, all that I could read in the Italian press was how awful the 2019 Ferrari is, the fact that Vettel made another mistake and that Leclerc only managed to get on the podium because his team mate punted Verstappen off the track. But the bottom line was that the championship is over for Ferrari, they won't win a race in 2019, theuir design is flawed etc.

 

[Ruslan]

thanks Angel, I didn't know that there was an SC

The race had its moments but the safety car came out and screwed Bottas, leclerc and Norris. Case of being on the wrong place and at wrong time while other people were in the right place. Lewis was gifted the race but I suspect he would have taken it anyway. While Bottas put up a good fight early in the race, Hamilton just looked faster (as is often the case). Anyhow there were a number of great duels (especially Verstappen vs Leclerc). If you recorded it, it is worth watching for some of driving.

all that I could read in the Italian press was how awful the 2019 Ferrari is, the fact that Vettel made another mistake and that Leclerc only managed to get on the podium because his team mate punted Verstappen off the track. But the bottom line was that the championship is over for Ferrari, they won't win a race in 2019, theuir design is flawed etc.

All true. It appears that Red Bull has almost caught Ferrari (and the goal was that Ferrari was supposed to catch Mercedes). Vettel’s accident was his mistake, but sort of an understandable mistake. If he had not ran into Verstappen, Ferrari would have finished 4th and 5th. Not a good result for what is supposed to be the fastest engine out there.

The season is over, but there is still an interesting struggle between Ferrari and Red Bull and a very meaningful contest between Mclaren and Renault.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Publius Cornelius Scipio yeah for most of your points it was safety car based. hamilton vettel sainz right place right time. as saying goes better lucky than good. although ferrari got lucky with leclerc because proof for 3rd time at least this season they cant multitask

but ferrari got bigger problems with the senior 4 time world champion slowly turning into 2nd driver behind the rookie at ferrari

 

[Bill Boddy]

Publius Cornelius Scipio at Bottas's first pit stop he was supplied the same tyres that he started resulting him having to do a two stopper. Hamilton was given the hardest tyres allowing him to do a single stopper. By this time the safety car was running allowing Hamilton to take a lead that was not not due to his driving.

Whether or not he would have been able to have overtaken Bottas was immaterial as Mercedes had already settled Hamilton as being the winner with a big lead.

 

[Il_leone]

F1Brits_90 Got any press releases from the Italian Media then because it seems like Vettel is having all the bad luck in quali now and Le Clerc is having clean weekends to showcase his ability

However it won't go unnoticed another error another penalty and 100 pts behind Hamilton so the decision to favour Vettel has backfired and someone might be asking some serious questions of Binotto and Vettel

 

[Ruslan]

Publius Cornelius Scipio at Bottas's first pit stop he was supplied the same tyres that he started resulting him having to do a two stopper. Hamilton was given the hardest tyres allowing him to do a single stopper. By this time the safety car was running allowing Hamilton to take a lead that was not not due to his driving.

Whether or not he would have been able to have overtaken Bottas was immaterial as Mercedes had already settled Hamilton as being the winner with a big lead.

Well, I think the Mercedes plan was to run them both on two stops.....but Bottas was going through his tires quicker (you could see it). I think they changed Hamilton's strategy when they saw the safety car. On the other hand, Ferrari seemed confused.

 

[Publius Cornelius Scipio]

thanks guys for the summary of the key events of the race. For what I have seen during the first 20 minutes of the race the Red Bull is far ahead of the Ferrari, the red car has too much understeer and the rear end looks like a mess too, IMHO Red Bull will be 2nd in the WCC

 

[F1Brits_90]

Il_leone I can have a look in gazette dello sport

 

[Ruslan]

thanks guys for the summary of the key events of the race. For what I have seen during the first 20 minutes of the race the Red Bull is far ahead of the Ferrari, the red car has too much understeer and the rear end looks like a mess too, IMHO Red Bull will be 2nd in the WCC

Well, if you have the time you might want to a look at the Verstappen and Leclerc duel. It was pretty dramatic and at one point Leclerc pushed Verstappen off the track. It harkens back to the discussion of what should or should not be allowed in racing.

 

[Il_leone]

Verstappen has the cheek to complain he was shoved off track

Publius Cornelius Scipio Red Bull will only be second in WCC if Gasly qualifies and races better for a start. He may have got 4th and that is the closest he has been with the other 3 although he would have been 6th if Vettel did not hit Verstappen

 

[Ruslan]

Verstappen has the cheek to complain he was shoved off track

Well he was. I think that is a statement of fact. Does anyone dispute this?

 

[Il_leone]

its a bit rich coming from Max that he can't take a bit of shoving

 

[F1Brits_90]

It harkens back to the discussion of what should or should not be allowed in racing.

well i hope we get more of it. that was amazing, button call it his favourite british gp & leclerc said it he had enjoyed a race as much as that in a long while

 

[Lewywo4]

Publius Cornelius Scipio .
Whether or not he would have been able to have overtaken Bottas was immaterial as Mercedes had already settled Hamilton as being the winner with a big lead.

Mercedes didn't decide as Lewis being the winner at Silverstone for the British GP, as some would like to think. Lewis also wasn't gifted any win, but was able to achieve that victory, because of his excellent feel for tire management, which enabled him to engineer the sixth win for him of the British GP. It wasn't luck at all, as the following article clearly show.

Luck had nothing to do with Hamilton's British GP victory

 

[Angel]

Mercedes didn't decide as Lewis being the winner at Silverstone for the British GP, as some would like to think. Lewis also wasn't gifted any win, but was able to achieve that victory, because of his excellent feel for tire management, which enabled him to engineer the sixth win for him of the British GP. It wasn't luck at all, as the following article clearly show.

Luck had nothing to do with Hamilton's British GP victory

Yeah but the safety car coming when it did had an effect, as did the fact Bottas went onto the same tyres at his stop meaning he had to stop again. I'm not saying Hamilton wouldn't have beaten him anyway, he could well have done, but the luck ran his way on Sunday and made it easier for him there's no denying that surely.

 

[Il_leone]

Hamilton gambled on 1 stop knowing Bottas was going to do 2 stop knowing full well that he would probably have had to pass him to win which I no doubt he could have done. The fact that Hamilton did fastest lap on old tyres on the last lap was a crushing statement to Bottas

 

[F1Brits_90]

I don't mind admitting lewis got lucky today the same way he did in 2015, just as the heavens opened. but its as they say everything evens out, the terrible luck he got in 2013 & 2018. also who knows could be like Leclerc in china they could've been no safety car & he ends up 6 seconds behind with a charging bottas on new tyres on a 2 stopper

I think he was going to win regardless. as the 1st 10 laps showed he was on a mission today as I haven't seen him that aggressive in many years