Tag: valterri bottas

F1 2015: Jerez Testing Day 2 – Round-Up

The second day of testing from Spain’s Jerez circuit was topped by Sebastian Vettel as he set a fastest time of 1:20:984 in his Ferrari.

The morning started rather sedately as the several cars initially set about completing their installations laps. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton got into their workload for the day relatively quickly while others camped in the pitlane for some time. The Lotus team did a terrific job to show up for the second day of testing and managed an initial installation with Pastor Maldonado able to complete 41 laps with a quickest time of 1:25:802.

McLaren also managed only a couple of installations with Jenson Button before spending the entire morning in its pit garage. The Brit was able set a timed lap several hours later following a morning troubled by electronic issues. However, nearly all of the session on day two was lost to further gremlins.

Red Bull’s Danill Kvyat caused quite a stir when he left the pitlane without a front-wing. Naturally, there were a few jokes about the camouflage livery living up to its name and hiding the front-wing. Ultimately, the explanation was that the front-wing had been damaged and while the team waited for a replacement Kvyat would do a short engine test without it.

The final few hours of the second day of testing were blighted with rain however Lewis Hamilton was still able to complete 91 laps before a water leak brought an end to his afternoon. Sebastian Vettel racked up 89 laps and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr’s 88.

Unofficial laptimes from Jerez de la Frontera:

February 2, 2015
Rosberg beats Hamilton to title-deciding pole in Abu Dhabi

Nico Rosberg beat championship rival Lewis Hamilton to the pole position in the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying session.

The German will start the final race of the 2014 season from the pole position after setting a time of of 1:40.480 to edge out Hamilton, who may have had it if not for a mistake, by almost four-tenths of a second.

It was Rosberg who held the early advantage after the first runs in the final part of qualifying, as Lewis ran wide at the penultimate corner and locked up into the final turn. Hamilton has been complaining about his brakes but Niki Lauda brushed these complaints off in true Lauda fashion saying, “These are the same brakes we’ve used all season. Lewis was complaining today but the practice is over now.”

Both drivers improved on their final runs but Hamilton could not find enough time to reach Rosberg and had to watch as Rosberg claimed his 11th pole position of the season.

Williams driver Valterri Bottas, who briefly threatened Hamilton’s second place spot, claimed the third spot on the grid ahead of team mate Felipe Massa who locked out the second row of the grid.

Daniel Ricciardo beat Sebastian Vettel to fifth place in final race as Red Bull team-mates giving the Red Bull team a third row lock out.

Daniil Kvyat was an impressive seventh for Toro Rosso.

McLaren driver Jenson Button only managed eighth place and lamented his disappointment.

The Brit was called back in after heading out on his fast lap due to the fact that he did not have enough fuel on board. “Are you serious?” is all he could mustre over the team radio. Eric Boullier later told Ted Kravitz that there was a fuel pump problem which had caused the issue.

The Ferraris locked out the fourth row of the grid with Kimi Raikkonen 9th and Fernando Alonso, who had to abandon his final lap after running wide at Turn 11, finished 10th.

Kevin Magnussen showed good pace during Q1 but could not manage a quick enough lap in Q2 and failed to make it into the top 10. He will start in 11th place with Jean-Eric Vergne lining up behind him.

Force India duo Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg took 13th and 14th respectively and Adrian Sutil will start behind them in 15th place in what will be his final race for the Sauber F1 Team.

Romain Grosjean very narrowly missed out on making it through to Q2 and set the 16th fastest time. He still has a 20 place grid penalty to serve though so will drop to the back of the grid. As he will only be able to serve 4 places, he’ll have to take a drive through penalty in the early stages of the grand prix.

Esteban Gutierrez was 17th quickest for Sauber, ahead of Pastor Maldonado.

Caterham have the back row of the grid all to themselves with Kamui Kobayashi and Will Stevens rounding out the grid. Rookie Stevens managed to finish half a second behind his team mate.

We are all set for an absolutely EPIC season finale tomorrow at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Who will take the title of 2014 F1 World Champion? Join us at 2:30pm (GMT +2) tomorrow on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat as well as pre and post race analysis. Prepare yourselves for one heck of a Duel in the Desert!

November 22, 2014
It’s advantage Rosberg ahead of Abu Dhabi Qualifying

Nico Rosberg held the advantage over Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton in the final practice session for the 2014 season at the Yas Marina circuit. Rosberg set the fastest time ahead of the qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with a 1:41.424 – 0.369s faster than his team mate.

Hamilton looked set to take the top spot after setting the fastest two sectors during his final lap but lost too much ground in the final sector.

Williams’ Felipe Massa took the third spot on the time sheets, a full 1.005s down on Rosberg, showing once again the superiority of the Mercedes duo and their lightning fast cars.

We should not, however, forget that the setting sun and subsequent falling track temperatures during qualifying at the Yas Marina circuit will mean that a fast FP3 lap may not translate into the same during qualifying. For this very reason, qualifying simulations were left until pretty late in the practice session to get track conditions as close to qualifying as possible. Mercedes should still nevertheless lock out the front row of the grid in qualifying, with Williams hot on their heels.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso set his time on soft tyres during the early stages of the session, then set a time on the supersofts and never took part in the rest of the session. He ended in fourth place as he and Ferrari attempt to save mileage on his engine.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finished his last practice session for the Red Bull team in fifth place, ahead of Jenson Button and Daniel Ricciardo.

Valtteri Bottas Bottas made a mistake in the final corner on his super-soft run which saw him only managing eigth place but he will most certainly be targeting the second row, come qualifying.

Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 10.

McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen posted the 11th best time of the session, ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.

Esteban Gutierrez beat the two Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean to 15th place with Adrian Sutil just behind.

Caterham remained at the bottom of the timesheets on their return to F1 this weekend with Caterham’s rookie Will Stevens getting to within a second of team mate Kamui Kobayashi’s time for the first time.

November 22, 2014
F1 2014: Season Finale Preview – Abu Dhabi: All or Nothing

At the very heart of its multi-billion rand, globe-trotting and glamorous veneer lays the ultimate goal – to be the Formula 1 world champion. Since 1950 every driver, team and engineer has embarked on the quest to be a part of the Formula 1 legend. In this iconic sport nothing is more important and nothing is pursued with a greater determination than to be the best.

What are the chances that as the first ever Formula 1 world champion Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina held aloft his title clinching trophy that he dreamt of how this sport would grow to enthrall and fascinate the world, turn into a religion for many, and race in countries and venues as far-off as deserts of Abu Dhabi. So it is that we come to the conclusion of the 2014 season in the twilight of the Yas Marina circuit. A season that has seen ground-breaking technology and will be remembered for a fierce battle between teammates.

Two short years ago Lewis Hamilton went through, arguably, the most difficult period of his Formula 1 career. The 2012 season at McLaren was marred by too many unfortunate performances, an on-track clash with his teammate, and the separation from those who held his best interests at heart. The move to Mercedes coincided with the metamorphosis of Lewis Hamilton. A more mature and re-focused Hamilton dedicated himself to the Mercedes cause and he appeared to be re-invigorated by the ability to stretch his wings and sever the near lifelong tie to McLaren.

In 2014, his father re-emerged in the pit garage; he moved away from manager Simon Fuller. Now he had people in his corner concerned with only his well-being and not that of the brand Lewis Hamilton. This shift has had a monumental effect both on and off the track. Where in the past Hamilton was extremely self-deprecating he now took the difficulties in stride and learnt from them. Gone was the Lewis Hamilton that succumbed, slightly, to the pressure of Formula 1. In his place is a driver and man whose maturity has allowed him to reach an ominous level of focus and determination. A level easily high enough to make him a double world champion at the end of the 2014 Abu Dhabi grand prix.

Up until this season Nico Rosberg’s F1 career has been solid, blotted with a few shining moments, but nothing quite spectacular. Truth be told he hasn’t been outlandishly brilliant this season either. What he has been is quick and devastatingly consistent. Ever the opportunist Rosberg has proven to be a formidable opponent to Hamilton. It isn’t something that many would’ve predicted given Hamilton’s near god-like reputation in some circles. Taking the title is a tad more difficult for the German than it is his teammate. He needs a few things to go his way and not Hamilton’s this weekend. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t but you can bet your bottom dollar that if the opportunity beckons Nico Rosberg will seize it consummate ease.

There are potential stumbling blocks in both these driver’s path. Lest we forget the Mercedes has had its fair share of issues throughout the season. Unreliability is surely one of the cruellest mistresses of the sport and we pray to the F1 Gods that no such travesty has the chance to destroy what should be rousing end to the season.

Then there is the two Williams shaped anomalies. At the very least both the Williams’ will feature heavily in qualifying and from there should be able to be quite a nuisance in the race too. The Yas Marina circuit’s long straights are tailor-made to the Williams’ super-slippery-mega-fast-in-a-straight-line aerodynamics. McLaren‘s racing director Eric Boullier believes that their “downward spiral has ended” and though they shouldn’t be troubling the Mercedes they are embroiled in a fight with Ferrari for fourth place in the constructor’s standings.

The never-say-die mentality of this team has allowed for a steady improvement over the last few races. This improvement will culminate with a “new aerodynamic concept” package, to run this weekend, from the design table of new chief engineer Peter Prodromou.

This has been a mega season. Yes, it’s been bossed by one team but look at it from a different perspective. It’s been dominated by near inconceivable technological advances and we can honestly say that at the end of it all whoever walks away as the champion will do so on the back of some of the finest driving for some time and in the midst of an intricately wicked psychological war that fans have relished. This is what it all comes down to, what this majestic, passion-fuelled sport is all about – the quest to be the best, to be number one, to be the world champion.

November 18, 2014
Brazilian GP Qualifying – Rosberg beats Hamilton to pole

Nico Rosberg beat Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton to the Brazilian GP pole position by a mere 0.033s. Rosberg’s 10th pole of the year ensures that he has secured the inaugural F1 Pole Trophy.

The German was driver topped all three practice sessions over the course of the weekend but was not about to start celebrating just yet. “Perfect job only if it works out tomorrow. I need to make it happen in the race unlike Austin,” he said in the post-qualifying press conference.

Of course, with the two drivers matching times so closely, he’s perfectly right. Lewis lost the Brazilian GP pole position by fractions of a second after carrying too much speed into Turn 10 on his flying lap, which caused the rear to step out and send him drifting around through the turn.

The Williams drivers put up an exceptionally impressive battle and at one point even threatening to separate the two Mercedes drivers. “We really thought he [Felipe Massa] could have separated the Mercedes drivers,” Clare Williams said in post-qualifying interviews. Massa however locked up at T1 on his final flying attempt and faced traffic in the final sector which forced him to abort his final lap and qualify in third place. His home crowd cheered like crazy as he arrived back in Parc Ferme shouting, “Massa! Massa! Massa!” to let him know they were fully behind him.

Williams team mate Valterri Bottas was also forced to abort his final lap and qualifying in fourth place on the Brazilian GP grid. Jenson Button was fifth for McLaren, ahead of outgoing world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Button is hoping that his team can take the challenge to Ferrari tomorrow and qualifying ahead of them today is a good start, “It’s a massive gap to Ferrari in the constructors. But we have to make them feel like we’re challenging them,” he said.

Kevin Magnussen finished ahead of Fernando Alonso, with Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen rounding out the Top 10 qualifiers.

Both Sauber drivers made it into Q2 with Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil split by Nico Hulkenberg in his Force India. Sutil may have finished a little better but ran wide at Juncao on his first hot lap costing him valuable time.

Daniil Kvyat didn’t set a lap time in Q2 and finished in 14th place but will drop down to back of the grid as he serves the remainder of an engine penalty carried over from Austin.

Romain Grosjean finished only 15th fastest, while Jean-Eric Vergne placed 16th for Toro Rosso after making an error at Mergulho.

Sergio Perez finished in 17th place but will drop back behind Maldonado who qualified in last place. Perez drops back due to his grid penalty for causing a collision with Sutil, which the FIA branded as “reckless”, in Austin.

The stage is set for plenty of drama tomorrow’s Brazilian GP and we’re again faced with a chance of rain. Join us tomorrow on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat with fellow F1 Mad fans!

November 8, 2014
Rosberg makes it three out of three in final Brazilian GP practice

Rosberg has sent out a very clear message about his intentions this weekend by completing a clean sweep after topping the time sheets for all three practice sessions ahead of the Brazilian GP.

Rosberg topped the session ahead of his team mate Lewis Hamilton with a lap time of 1:10.446. His time is faster any pole position time ever seen at the circuit, and only six tenths of a second off the record time, which was set a decade ago. It is very likely that we’ll see the record time beaten before the end of the Brazilian GP on the newly resurfaced Interlagos circuit.

An epic storm which hit Sao Paolo last night washed away most of the rubber that had been laid down during Friday’s Brazilian GP practice sessions so grip levels were pretty low to start off with. A good few drivers enjoyed a few minor spins and excursions off the track including Lewis Hamilton who spun into the Senna S.

The Williams duo set the early pace while teams were still running on the Prime tyres but fell behind the Mercedes drivers after the switch to options. Brazilian home favourite Felipe Massa still manage to secure the third spot with Valterri Bottas finishing fourth.

Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth for Red Bull, ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button. Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso placed themselves in seventh and eighth for Ferrari, while Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat completed the top 10.

Sebastian Vettel could manage only 11th for Red Bull, ahead of everybody’s favourite Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado.

Adrian Sutil, who has pretty much been dumped by his team Sauber team, finished 13th, ahead of the two Frenchmen Romain Grosjean and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Esteban Gutierrez, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez rounded out the 18-car field. Only 18 cars will compete in the Brazilian GP following the shutting down of the Marussia F1 team, and Caterham who are now looking for crowd funding in order to still be able to compete in Abu Dhabi.

Nico Rosberg will be looking to secure pole position this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s Brazilian GP, and with possible rain on the way, there’s no doubt that the stage is set for a nail biting qualifying session.

Please join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live commentary and chat during qualifying and the Brazlian GP.

Your full time sheet for the third and final Brazilian GP practice session, is below:

November 8, 2014
F1 2014: Brazilian GP Preview – Predict It If You Dare

The penultimate round of the 2014 championship does not have the ability to decide the driver’s title. However, the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace circuit is one steeped in some of the most dramatic formula 1 history.

Around its 4.309 kilometers this track has re-written many a driver’s fate. There isn’t a need to look too far back to find these extraordinary moments. The 2012 race was described by Sebastian Vettel as one of the toughest of his career. The afternoon oozed tension and amid changing weather conditions, safety-cars, a litany of pitstops the Red Bull driver was also involved in a collision. Seemingly on course for his third consecutive title the German found himself pointing the wrong way on the first lap of the race. Vettel staged a gallant comeback which was ultimately enough to clinch the title.

For a brief period in 2008 Ferrari’s Felipe Massa thought himself to have won the world championship. But in the most nail-biting finish in decades Lewis Hamilton scraped to the championship title on the very last lap, into the final turn, by overtaking Toyota’s Timo Glock. A year prior, in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen had, mathematically, the least amount of chance of winning the title. With only ten points on offer the Finn was seven adrift of championship leader Lewis Hamilton. However, the spectacular drama that defines the Brazilian GP saw the Iceman theatrically snatch the title from McLaren as Hamilton was unable to recover from a technical issue suffered in the race.

So you see there is much to suggest that the 2014 Brazilian GP is going to be anything but straightforward. Hamilton starts the weekend with a healthy lead over teammate Nico Rosberg but it, literally, can be wiped out in matter of seconds. In saying this, the pressure still resides in the Rosberg side of the garage. The German driver will be desperate to beat his teammate at this race and he must. There is no alternative for Rosberg this weekend. Though Abu Dhabi has the gimmicky double-points on offer there is little doubt that Rosberg would not want to put all his eggs in that foolish basket.

The only thing Rosberg can do this weekend is his best. The question remains whether Rosberg’s best is enough to beat his teammate who is on a roll of five consecutive grand prix victories. More significantly, Hamilton undoubtedly holds the psychological edge; the dismissive overtake in Austin for the lead of the race ensured that. Yet, this is still Brazil and here dramatic turnarounds have never been in short supply.

The circuit itself is quite technical with a mixture of different corners littered throughout the undulating landscape of its Sao Paulo location. “It’s a tricky circuit to get right but that makes it all the more exciting; there’s more opportunities to overtake there than at other tracks, and the twisty infield section towards the end of the lap is a real challenge as you’re constantly on the limit trying not to outbrake yourself, so when you get it spot on it’s really rewarding,” says Jenson Button.

The weather in these parts tends towards the extreme too. Here, track temperatures of 63 degrees Celcius have been recorded while other weekends have been blighted by monsoon levels of rain. For the 2014 Brazilian GP, the forecast predicts a mostly overcast weekend with the possibility of showers and temperatures in the early twenties.

It’s bumpy, it’s technical, the weather is changeable and something dramatic is bound to happen. It can only be Brazil’s Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

November 6, 2014
Bottas fastest in damp final practice

Williams driver, Valterri Bottas, topped the timesheets after the third and final practice session at Spa Francorchamps, ahead of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. Bottas set a time of 1:49.465 to finish the session 0.268s clear of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Drivers were greeted by damp conditions today with overnight rain, and rain expected for qualifying later this afternoon. Most drivers used intermediate tyres for their installation laps with some opting for full wets.

Andre Lotterer was the first driver to set a time before sliding wide at La Source. Jules Bianchi soon beat his time and remained fastest for the first half of the session as most drivers chose to stay in their garages.

The track dried considerably halfway through and the track was once again abuzz with action. Esteban Gutierrez broke the silence and ventured out Primes, lowering Bianchi’s benchmark by a second.

Inevtiably, the Mercedes drivers made their way to the top of the timesheets with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg switching at the top for a short while. At one stage, Hamilton snatched the fastest time off his team mate by a crazy one thousandth of a second! It is times like these that really make Formula One.

After switching to soft tyres for qualifying simulations, the Mercedes drivers found themselves getting knocked off the top spots.

It was Bottas who finished in front, with Ricciardo second and Nico Rosberg third, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton, who set identical lap times during a frantic end to the session.

Alonso finished in sixth, with Daniil Kvyat, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Jean-Eric Vergne rounding out the top 10. Full timesheet for the session below.

We’ll be back for qualifying shortly! Please join us on Twitter @F1_Madness for live tweets and chat throughout. Rain is expected so we’re expecting a cracker of a session.

Photo Credits: Williams and Mclaren F1 teams

FP3 Timesheet

August 23, 2014
F1 2014: German GP Preview – German or Englishman?

The battle for supremacy between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has been so enthralling that somehow the Formula 1 season is already on the cusp of its tenth round.

Hockenheim returns for the first time since 2012 to not only the new hybrid Formula but also to a new pecking order. In 2012, the Hockenheimring had its first introduction to both DRS and Pirelli tyres. Red Bull Racing and Lotus arrived at that grand prix as the likely podium contenders. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso won the race from Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.

The circuit’s 4.574 km layout is a blend of long straights and final sector medium-speed corners. The hairpin in the first sector of the lap is a key area for overtaking which places commands good braking performance. Despite a relatively short lap driver and engineers need to strike a balance between top-speed and downforce. “You’d like to have the downforce for the stadium and to keep it steady on the brakes but equally you don’t want too much drag on the straights,” says Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The final sector is not favourable for overtaking but the stadium section is a vital element to what makes the German GP unique. The decidedly muted sound of Formula 1 cars should make it possible to hear the cheering of the crowds, should a German driver be leading the race.

The driver’s will need to vigilant at the start of the race as the first corner tightens dramatically before opening up onto the straight. Although there is an expanse of run-off area a touching of wheels or front-wing is a high probability. Teams such as Ferrari will need to devote more time towards their qualifying pace in order to avoid starting mid-grid and the possibility of a first-lap incident.

Before then, the first one and a half hours of free practice will be the centre of attention as Williams’ development driver Susie Wolff gets another opportunity to participate in an official session. However, don’t expect any flashy laptimes from the Scot. The main aim is to run through Williams’ program which is geared towards set-up of the car rather than outright pace.

Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull didn’t have the pace to challenge for victory around the Hockenheimring two years ago and it’s not much is different in 2014. The reigning champion is unlikely to match the Mercedes but the Red Bull may have a better outing this weekend thanks to the aerodynamic demands of the final sector.

Out of the car the verbal digs continue between the two Mercedes drivers. Ahead of the German GP Lewis Hamilton noted that seeing as Nico Rosberg was raised in Monaco he could not consider himself German. Rosberg responded to his teammate by describing himself as “100% German.” It is clear that Hamilton is continuing his methodical psychological battle against Nico Rosberg as much out of the car as on the track. Some may think it’s nonsense and that the Brit should get on with driving. However, the make-up of Lewis Hamilton the racing driver dictates he exploits every possible advantage, in whichever form it is presented.

It was crucial for Hamilton to strike back at Silverstone and it will be an important long-term victory if he does the same this weekend. The biggest incentive for Lewis Hamilton to bring that same intensity to the track is the chance to take over the lead of the driver’s championship.

July 16, 2014
F1 2014: British GP – Hamilton Roars Back Into Contention

It is uncanny how even in the most dominant of seasons Formula 1 still manages to deliver one of the most thrilling races in years.

The 2014 Silverstone grand prix was chock-full of amazing drives and drama from the very first lap. The field had not completed one lap before Kimi Raikkonen crashed heavily into the barriers on the Wellington Straight, bringing out the red flag.

Raikkonen appeared to lose control as he tried to rejoin the circuit after running wide onto the tarmac run-off at Aintree. The Finn hit a bump in the grass which put him headfirst into the barriers. Despite an impact of 47 G the Ferrari driver escaped serious injury. It was only through Felipe Massa’s exceptionally quick reaction that the crash was not much worse. Massa, in his 200^th GP, pitched his car into a spin to avoid Raikkonen as he speared across the track. Unfortunately the Williams driver sustained terminal damage to his left-rear suspension. Raikkonen suffered a bruised leg and ankle which has put him in doubt for testing at Silverstone this week. It is often taken for granted just what special talents all of these driver’s posses and it was Felipe Massa’s actions which reminds us all of the unrivaled ability of these drivers.

The race resumed an hour later after marshals repaired the heavily damaged guard rail. Mercedes’ Niki Lauda lamented race direction for the red flag interruption and said that there was “zero possibility” of another driver crashing into the damaged guard rail. However unlikely a second accident in the same area would or would not be it is unconscionable to speculate where safety is concerned.

Nico Rosberg restarted in first position ahead of McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen. Hamilton soon made his way through from fourth to run five seconds behind Rosberg.

An alternative strategy by Hamilton left him on the harder and slower compound tyres towards the closing stages of the race. Even though it was Rosberg who should have had the upper hand on the faster tyre he was no match for Hamilton’s doggedness. The Brit was rapidly closing the gap to his championship rival when Rosberg’s car suddenly slowed. As Hamilton swept into the lead of the race a gearbox issue brought an end Rosberg’s race.

An inspired Valterri Bottas scythed through the field from fourteenth and overtook the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, both McLarens and the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. The Williams’ driver perfected a one-stop strategy and delivered a stunning drive to score back-to-back podiums with a career best second place.

Behind Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, also on a one-stop strategy, successfully fought to hold onto third place. Allbeit on different strategies on the day the impressive Australian once again out-performed his four-time world champion teammate. Mid-way through the season Ricciardo has proven that he has successfully taken the step to the next echelon of grand prix drivers. He isn’t yet going to be mentioned in the same breath as the Alonsos and Hamiltons of the racing world but everything suggest that he is an incredibly talented driver.

Jenson Button drove superbly to finish the race a mere eight tenths off the final podium spot. Although narrowly missing out on the podium in what was surely an emotional weekend JB did his dad proud with a fighting fourth place. A tip of the hat to the British fans for showing their support for JB with scores of pink in the crowd.

Further down, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel were involved in a classic duel for fifth. The two champions battled for several laps within inches of each other. Both drivers comically complained on the radio of the other exceeding track limits but ultimately the battle royal between the two was a breathtaking display of driving skill. In the end Vettel got the better of the Spaniard.

Kevin Magnussen improved McLaren’s day with seventh place ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg. The most impressive rookie of the year Daniil Kvyat led teammate Jean-Eric Vergne home in the final points paying positions. Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez has been given a three-place grid penalty for the next race after the Mexican clashed with Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado.

Lewis Hamilton roared back into contention for the driver’s title with a fine victory on home soil. Although it came at a cost to Rosberg Hamilton’s prodigious pace on the supposedly slower tyre was telling. Victory at Silverstone means a lot to Hamilton and is an even more significant boost to his title aspirations.

(Podium image by courtesy of Pirelli)

July 7, 2014