Hamilton stages dramatic comeback but Vettel wins
SILVERSTONE, England, CMC – Lewis Hamilton shook off a first-lap collision which left him last and drove superbly to finish second in his home Grand Prix, as Ferrari archrival Sebastian Vettel won at Silverstone here yesterday.
The 33-year-old Brit finished just over two seconds behind Vettel, whose teammate Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the podium.
With the victory, Vettel extended his lead in the drivers championship, now eight points ahead on 171 points.
Afterwards, Hamilton lamented being unable to delivery victory for home fans which would have also seen him nail a record sixth British Grand Prix.
“This is the greatest race of the year and this is the greatest crowd and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to bring it home for you today, but thank you for your support,” Hamilton said.
“It’s you guys that helped me get through today. We’ll take it on the chin and keep pushing hard, because believe me I will not give up. I will not give up.”
Hamilton started on pole but squandered that advantage when wheel-spin at the start saw him fall behind Vettel, who started second and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who also capitalised to move into second.
More frustration followed on Turn Three when Raikkonen locked up and crashed into Hamilton, leaving the reigning World champion to rejoin the contest in 18th position.
However, he wasted little time in slicing his way through the field, storming to 11th place within six laps and requiring only another five laps to reach the top six.
Brilliant pit-stop strategy by Mercedes following two safety cars late in the race then saw Hamilton sneak further ahead, though it was not enough to overhaul Vettel.
“It’s a tough day, to leave having lost points having been on the pole, but it is the way it is. You live to fight another day. I’m great to have been able to get back to second and minimise the loss,” Hamilton said.
“The rear of the car was moving around a lot, particularly with the left-handers and obviously I had been hit on the right. So I was nervous I had lost part of my floor or something because the car was moving for unknown reasons, but then it started to get better and better, after some tweaks to the settings.
“I was able to get the car more under control and the pace started to pick up. I’m grateful the car was in one piece and I’m grateful to get through.” In an effort to improve the overall scope of the competition, the final night of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championship on August 4 th will be staged at the National Stadium, Providence.
This was revealed by Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste. The soft spoken Baptiste declared, “It is always our intention to have improvements every year and with the projected addition of stands to accommodate seated patrons, I think we will witness a wider cross section of fans support.”
Admission to the venue is free of cost. The first night of the tournament will be held on July 27th at the Pouderoyen Tarmac, with the second night slated for August 3rd at the Haslington Tarmac, another first time venue.
According to a release from the coordinators Three Peat Promotions, “The tournament is widely regarded as the most popular street format where the attendance is usually massive and the benefits of cohesion and friendship among competing communities, the primary objectives of the Organizers.”
The correspondence further said, “It must be noted also that Banks DIH under its Guinness brand has offered to give back to the respective communities where the winners of the zones originate from.”
Meanwhile, the Bartica leg of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Championship will commence on Friday July 13th.
The winner of the Bartica Championship, which concludes on July 15th, will complete the 16 teams that will contest for the most prestigious title in ‘street-ball’.
According to an official release, “Bartica which saw its inaugural competition played last year will be represented by the winner of their zone scheduled to be played from July 13-15 in the Mining Town. River View is the defending champion and word from the community is suggesting that they will have to be at their best to hold off some of the aspiring teams who all exuded confidence ahead of next weekend’s showdown.”
The correspondence further said, “Police who ended runner-up in last year’s competition will once again be aiming to go one step better and be the Region’s sole representative in the national playoffs. With the chance to compete at the nationals a huge opportunity for the winning team, fans can expect three days of exciting action that could challenge some of the battles we’ve seen so far at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.”
Below features the 15 teams that have qualified for the National Championship.
Georgetown Gold is Money-Champion Sparta Boss Leopold Street Bent Street
East Coast Demerara Uprising-Champion Paradise Melanie-B Buxton Diamond
West Demerara Showstoppers-Champion ESPN West Side Ballers
Linden Silver Bullets-Champion Dave and Celina’s All-Stars-National Champion Swag Entertainment
Berbice Trafalgar-Champion