Yesterday evening, the audience present at the Silverstone Circuit got the chance to experience an absolute thriller as pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas tried to challenge off teammate Lewis Hamilton, but a Safety Car intervention gifted his Mercedes teammate a free pit stop, allowing him to leap ahead of everyone and ultimately record his sixth home win. However, the lead battle was just one part of the story as the Ferraris and Red Bulls engaged in an intense battle for the third spot. Eventually Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc managed to grab the 3rd spot but only after Max Verstappen had been dramatically pushed out of position by the other Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel.
Despite the Vettel and Verstappen crash, Vettel apologised and took the blame for the crash. On the other hand, Bottas led away from pole position and held off a spirited attack from Hamilton in the early laps, before the Briton wriggled through at Luffield to the delight of a packed house at Silverstone. But Bottas wasn’t having any of it, as he started tucking into the slipstream before catapulting his Mercedes up to the inside at Copse to retake the lead in a sensational fashion. From there, he controlled the race from the front and was the first to pit, as he was the lead car and therefore was on the optimum strategy, re-joining on the third spot, behind Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. But then Antonio Giovinazzi beached his Alfa Romeo in the gravel, bringing out the Safety Car.
Championship leader Hamilton was then in the lead, as he took the chequered flag for his seventh victory in 10 races in 2019, with Bottas finishing second. Hamilton also managed to get the fastest lap on the final lap, on 30-lap old tyres, displacing Bottas, who pitted late on for a fresh set of tyres. Red Bull drivers, Gasly and Verstappen had to settle for fourth and fifth, while Carlos Sainz, who also got a free stop when he pitted under the Safety Car, took sixth, ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat was ninth with Nico Hulkenberg snatching the final point from Alexander Albon on the final lap.
Have a look at the top 5:
- Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Pierre Gasly – Red Bull Racing
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing