2016 F1 British GP: Hammertime for Lewis

SILVERSTONE, UK- The British Grand Prix has been in the Formula One calendar since the sport’s inception. Silverstone circuit has the distinction of hosting the inaugural GP in 1950, with this year marking the 50th race in Silverstone (Brands Hatch and Aintree were other British GP venues). Only Monza (with 65 GP) and Monaco (with 63) have hosted more GP races.

Over the years, the relatively flat layout has given fans exceptional racing. Add the typical British summer, which brings unexpected rains all day, and the British GP will always be a challenge for both the teams and drivers.

Race day saw rain soak the track prior to the start. Standing water was evident all around. Thus the cars had to start behind the safety car. Lewis Hamilton took P1 over Rosberg in P2. Following the Mercedes pair were Verstappen and Ricciardo of Red Bull, with Raikkonen rounding up the top 5. This was the running order until the safety car came in at the end of lap 6. Lewis bunched up the field as best he could, before driving away from the chasing pack. The top four stayed out while majority of the runners dove in to change their Pirelli wets to intermediates.

With a sizeable lead on hand, and aided by the virtual safety car period due to a crash by Pascal Wehrlein in the Manor,  Mercedes called in both drivers. The pit crew timed it to perfection, with Lewis and Nico pitting without losing track position. Hamilton then set about setting a gap of nearly four seconds to Nico. The German had no answer to the speed set by his team mate. The defending champion was confidently running well up front.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was now hounding Nico, the Red Bull gaining time even on a damp track. Verstappen then went about passing Rosberg on lap 16. The partisan crowd cheered wildly, as the Flying Dutchman dispatched Rosberg with ease. Should they maintain position to the end, Hamilton will just be a point away from Rosberg in the championship.

With the rest of the field fighting it out for the remaining championship points, the second and third podium steps were still up for grabs. Nico went about the business of overtaking the Red Bull, and to the dismay of the British faithful, Nico overtook Max on lap 38.

The race took a turn for the worse for Rosberg on lap 47. A gearbox problem hampered his lap times. Mercedes then went over the radio to inform Rosberg on how to fix it. He was instructed to skip seventh gear to avert a gearbox failure. But radio messages to help out the drivers are now banned in F1. Penalties for the infringement of the rules were discussed by the stewards and corresponding penalties were to be handed out after the race.

Lewis Hamilton was running all by himself up front, and after 52 laps, Lewis crossed the line to take his 4th win of the year. Rosberg followed in second, with Verstappen claiming third.

After the race, a 10-second penalty was slapped on Nico for the errant radio message. This penalty meant he was relegated to P3 with Verstappen getting promoted to P2.

Mercedes lodged an appeal, but later withdrew

Lewis Hamilton’s three previous British GP wins gave him the drivers title at the end of each year. Could this fourth win hand him the driver’s trophy at seasons end? From the way he has driven the past few races, the odds are he could equal Sebastian Vettel and the great Alain Prost with four titles to his credit.