Hamilton takes memorable Silverstone win
LEWIS HAMILTON roared back from a first-lap incident that sent championship leader Max Verstappen to the hospital and overcame a 10-second penalty to win the British Grand Prix and reignite his Formula One (F1) title defence yesterday.
The seven-time champion won at his home track to snap a run of five races without a victory. He had dropped from second to fifth after he served his penalty, picked up two spots when he returned to the track, and then Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was ordered to move out of Hamilton’s way.
It gave him 11 laps to chase down leader Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari, and Hamilton made the pass for the win with just two laps to go – and on the same corner where he had tangled with Verstappen. The British driver was cheered on to his eighth career victory at Silverstone by the passionate home fans, who also gave him a standing ovation. Hamilton, who then drove a victory lap brandishing the British flag, cut the gap to Verstappen in the drivers’ championship from 33 points to eight.
“What a great job, guys. Thank you so much for continuing to push this year, I am so inspired by you guys. There’s a long way to go, but I believe in you guys,” Hamilton said on team radio after the race.
Then he climbed the rail and ran towards the grandstands, waving the flag to his adoring crowd.
Verstappen crashed out of the race when a spirited first-lap battle with Hamilton sent the Dutchman spinning hard into a barrier, with an impact which registered at 51G.
“With Max, you know he’s very aggressive. And then today, I mean I was fully alongside him, and I didn’t have enough space,” Hamilton said after the race. “But regardless of whether I agree with the penalty, I take it on the chin and I just kept working.”
The race was red-flagged to allow for repairs to the tire barrier. Verstappen, wobbly as he climbed from his car, was initially seen in the Silverstone medical centre but then transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
“He’s (Hamilton) a world champion, he shouldn’t be making manoeuvres like that. It’s unacceptable,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “I hope Lewis is very happy with himself. Lewis has got more than enough experience to know that that’s unacceptable.
“I’m just very disappointed that a driver of his calibre should make such a move. It’s dangerous. It looked desperate. And he’s put a competitor, thankfully uninjured, in hospital. For me, that’s a hollow victory.”