ROUND 12: 🇬🇧 Great Britain


FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS BRITISH GRAND PRIX 2024


Circuit stats


  • First Grand Prix: 1950
  • Number of laps: 52
  • Circuit Length: 5.891 km
  • Race Distance: 306.198 km
  • Lap record: 1:27.097 Max Verstappen (2020)
  • 2023 winner: Max Verstappen

Track Map


Image

  • Coelacanth@feddit.nu
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    4 months ago

    Phenomenal race, as is usual for a dry-wet-dry mixed conditions race with multiple crossovers between slicks and inters.

    Huge blunders by McLaren and you have to sort of question their operational department at this point. They’ve built a great car (probably the fastest over a race distance right now) and have two amazing drivers. They need to overhaul their strategy to keep up. Why are they still letting Lando make so many decisions himself when the pitwall has the data and should be making the calls? The fresh medium they had available at the end was obviously the right call and would have had Norris win, most likely. They also should have double stacked, which (all other things being equal) probably would have given Piastri the win. I guess I’m extra mad because Norris cutting Max’s points lead by any amount would help me pretend there is potential excitement for the championship for longer.

    Still, super happy for Hamilton. Almost fairytale-esque that he gets his long awaited win at Silverstone of all races. Great drive from him, especially keeping those softs alive long enough at the end to hold off Max’s charge.

    Haas was quietly impressive again and their upgrades actually not just worked but were a homerun it seems. Not used to saying that.

    Aston got some good points but the elephant in the room is Fernando. I love him so it pains me to see him flounder week after week. No clue what happened since he actually started the season driving just as well as last year, but after China his performances have just dropped like off a cliff. Has father time finally caught up? He did get a hand injury right after China but surely that has healed by now.

    Lastly, the less said about Perez the better. Probably used him as a guinea pig for going on the inters early? I guess they might as well, I never expect anything from Checo in the wet these days either.

    • frank@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      4 months ago

      All very well said. McLaren is not acting like a front running team at the moment, despite the car that is absolutely a front running (I would argue the best) car out there. Their aerodynamic grip looks phenomenal (just check the first few laps in the damp when they both walked away from the Mercs), tire life is excellent (always striking back late in a race), and it seems the best over one lap these days.

      But mix that with letting the driver be the strategist, Lando’s lesser experience racing for wins than the likes of Max and Lewis, some very late calls on strategy, and you’re left with many opportunities that feel squandered.

      Of course, losing out to both Max and Lewis is not a bad place to be, but they had a win on the table here, as we’ve said before this season