HAMILTON IN TOP FORM AT SILVERSTONE
Briton wins fourth home GP in a row to slash Vettel’s championship lead
LEWIS Hamilton swept to his fourth consecutive victory at the British Grand Prix yesterday to move within a single point of world championship leader Sebastian Vettel.
In a dramatic race packed with incidents, Vettel suffered a late puncture and finished seventh for Ferrari after his teammate Kimi Raikkonen also pitted with a similar problem in the closing stages.
Hamilton’s victory, a recordequalling fifth in his home event and the 57th of his career, rebooted his title challenge as he came home ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, who started ninth, in a dominant Mercedes one-two finish.
“It’s a feeling I just can’t describe really,” a delighted Hamilton said. “Look at this crowd. Thank you to everyone who turned up. God bless you!
“It was incredible – I was inspired by all the kids who came.”
Raikkonen was third for Ferrari, after the Italian team had made a strategic gamble with their tyres, ahead of Max Verstappen and his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who started 19th on the grid.
Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth for Renault ahead of Vettel, Esteban Ocon and his Force India teammate Sergio Perez and Felipe Massa, who came home 10th for Williams.
Bottas said: “I am really happy for this. It was not easy, with so many cars to get through, but the team did a perfect strategy. I just kept my head down and we managed it.”
Raikkonen said he was disappointed with his misfortune, but Vettel said he did not blame the team.
“It’s just one of those things,” the German said.
Hamilton made a perfect getaway under heavy grey skies while Vettel had flames leaping from his Ferrari’s brake drum, a distraction that did nothing to stop Verstappen passing him for third on the opening lap.
The two Toro Rosso cars clashed at Chapel where Carlos Sainz spun off into retirement, having collided with Daniil Kvyat’s car. The Spaniard also made contact with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas.
After an investigation, the stewards gave Kvyat a drivethrough penalty.
This brought out the safety car for four laps, before racing resumed with Hamilton back in control ahead of Raikkonen and Verstappen, while Ricciardo climbed to 12th.
Bottas, having started ninth after taking a penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change, was soon up to fifth with a set of clean passes.
Vettel and Verstappen were scrapping on and off the track in a fight for third. Vettel, frustrated by his inability to pass the Dutchman, pitted after 19 laps and rejoined sixth, but moved ahead when Verstappen pitted the following lap.
With 10 laps remaining, Hamilton was clear by 12 seconds and Bottas, fourth, was closing on Vettel, intent on fighting for a podium finish.
The Finn tried to pass him on lap 42, when Vettel defended his position, but succeeded a lap later by surging past as the German’s tyres faded.
With two laps remaining, Raikkonen suffered a left-front puncture and had to pit, gifting Bottas second place and Vettel third before the German suffered the same fate.