Nafter a high-speed crash by Max Verstappen in Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton made the Formula 1 world title fight exciting again. The English local hero caught the leading Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc with an overtaking maneuver shortly before the end. After the retirement of Verstappen, Mercedes driver Hamilton reduced the deficit in the title fight to just eight points with his eighth home win in England, despite a ten-second penalty.
In the chaos of England in front of around 140,000 fans, Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas came third. Sebastian Vettel turned around in the back field after a self-inflicted spin and later had to park his Aston Martin early due to a defect. After an almost 40-minute break in the race because of the Verstappen-Hamilton accident in his defeated Haas, Mick Schumacher was only the last to cross the finish line. Verstappen was in shock and continued to receive medical care in a hospital as a preventive measure. “We never give up,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff over the radio. “Damn right,” replied Hamilton.
After nine Mercedes poles in a row, Verstappen broke through the Silver Arrows series at Silverstone. “He showed who’s the boss,” said Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, praising the Dutchman’s performance. By winning the sprint premiere over 17 laps, the 23-year-old secured pole position ahead of Hamilton for the fourth time in a row and collected three points in advance. There was no more for Verstappen after his accident.
There was a festival atmosphere in the stands – and among the drivers. “To see these flags, this energy, these people, that reinforces my love for the sport,” enthused Hamilton when looking at the crowd before the start. The prerequisite for the Grand Prix visit was either a negative rapid test or proof of a complete vaccination for the ticket holders.
“I’ll give it my all,” announced Hamilton, who was visited by Hollywood star Tom Cruise on the grid. And then it got off to a really tough start! Verstappen and Hamilton dueled side by side after the red lights went out.
After just one lap, there was a crash. In the Copse corner, where a speed of around 290 km / h is driven, the leader Verstappen and Hamilton touched the tires. The Dutchman lost control, shot off the asphalt into the gravel and crashed into the tire wall. However, he was visibly exhausted and was able to get out of the car himself and then waved to the audience.
“He is in shock and has been really shaken,” reported Marko on TV channel Sky. He rated Hamilton’s maneuver as “negligent to dangerous behavior” and called for a ban. Verstappen’s team boss Christian Horner scolded: “This is an enormous accident and it was 100 percent Max’s corner, Hamilton should never have been in this position.”
Forces of 51 G would have prevailed on the impact. For comparison: In Formula 1 cars, five Gs can act on the drivers when cornering during normal driving. The safety car came out, but then the tenth race of the season was interrupted. Verstappen’s car was badly demolished and the scene of the accident had to be secured.
The spectacle continued with a standing start – this time with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in the lead directly in front of Hamilton, whose car had also been damaged in the collision. Vettel promptly made a driving mistake, spun off the track and was thrown back from sixth place to the end of the field.
Hamilton now had to accelerate, as he had been penalized by the race stewards with a ten-second penalty. Before him, Leclerc complained several times about power failures in his engine. On lap 28, Hamilton pitted, served his sentence and resumed the chase after standing for 14.2 seconds. Vettel and Schumacher meanwhile struggled at the end of the field.
Leclerc’s stop two laps later went smoothly, with Monegasse setting the pace up front. Vettel had to park his car in the garage, disappointed. Hamilton attacked vehemently and was again on the last kilometers – and even grabbed the acclaimed home win in front of Leclerc.
.
