2020 Great Britain Thoughts
THE BIG PICTURE: Oh, how much more exciting the championship would have suddenly become if it was Hamilton finishing out of the points and Bottas taking the win.
EVENT: Sure, we missed the fans in Austria due to the lack of the Orange Brigade. But Silverstone is the first track where their absence was very notable. Witnessing the British fans wild, emotional roller coaster of the last lap would have been bonkers.
TRACK: Fast. And hard on tires.
QUALIFYING: Mercedes loves Silverstone and cool weather, Hamilton does it when it counts, Bottas does not, Verstappen slots in where expected, Leclerc impresses considering, Vettel does not at all impress, and the Q1 failures continue to be Haas and Alfa Romeo with Latifi thrown in.
RACE: It's never over till the checkered flag falls.
START: Almost got hairy up front, but Hamilton takes control, the McLarens duke it out, Ricciardo and Sainz rise, Stroll and Norris fall, Magnussen is bounced, and Hulkenberg just watches.
HAMILTON: Talk about the ultimate, it's better to be lucky than good. Though, Lewis was also very, very good. An unbeatable combination.
BOTTAS: Even when Valterri could have caught a break, he doesn't catch a break.
VERSTAPPEN: There's a reason hindsight is 20/20. And Max understands that.
ALBON: Suddenly, Alex's body language signals trouble to his F1 dreams.
LECLERC: Once again, Charles carried a car where it shouldn't go.
VETTEL: We don't get it. Leclerc essentially had a fourth place car in qualifying and the race. Sebastian essentially had a 10th place car in qualifying and the race. We don't get it.
FERRARI: They now admit they are a midfield team for this season and next.
RICCIARDO: Daniel pulled a Last Lap Lando on Last Lap Lando himself with probably the best move of the year that nobody saw.
OCON: Esteban was very happy with his car and result. That's great. But, he is being outdone by his teammate. That's not great.
RENAULT: Kudos. They deserve it. They had a very good race package and were able to turn that into solid results and points.
SAINZ: Best race of his season and had the better of Norris throughout. Carlos deserved better luck and result.
NORRIS: Lando had to work hard this race and will have to next week.
GASLY: A superb performance by Pierre. Does he sense trouble with Red Bull's second seat and is motivated by a possible opening?
KVYAT: Ouch! But don't be so hard on yourself Daniil. Everybody doesn't believe it was your fault.
STROLL: Lance fizzled in the race. Very disappointing.
HULKENBERG: The story of Nico's career. For every break he gets, he gets thrown down the stairs twice over.
PEREZ: It's never a good time, but this was a horrible time for Sergio to catch COVID-19 when his future with the team is in question.
RACING POINT: Once again, a slew of points lost on race day.
WILLIAMS: Finally seeing Saturday's pace translate to Sunday.
RUSSELL: And George took advantage of it.
GROSJEAN: Some very (subtle) dirty defensive driving.
MAGNSUSSEN: Well, you did leave a huge opening...
F2: Dan Ticktum won the sprint race as he desperately attempts to rebuild his career.
F3: American Logan Sargeant took his first pole, but fell back for a third place finish. A fifth on Sunday after the reverse grid keeps him second in the championship.
WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Relief.
STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 30 -- The time in seconds Hamilton led over Verstappen when the Mercedes left front tire went down. It was enough for one last lap ... by 5.8 seconds.
HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Lewis Hamilton now is alone holding the record for most home Grands Prix victories at seven, surpassing six by Alain Prost. (Hamilton also now holds the record for most home Grands Prix poles at seven.) Hamilton's streak includes four in a row (2014-17), all on the same track, Silverstone, and except for the first one with McLaren-Mercedes, all with Mercedes. Prost's streak occurred on three different tracks -- Dijon (1981), Paul Ricard (1983, 1988-90), and Magny-Cours (1993) -- and with four different teams -- Renault (1981, 1983), McLaren-Honda (1988-89), Ferrari (1990) and Williams-Renault (1993).
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Lewis Hamilton summing up his feelings, "That was heart in the mouth. Oh my god, I was just praying."
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Max Verstappen's engineer summing up the thoughts on Hamilton hanging on for the win, "He's a lucky boy. He's a lucky boy."
SCHEDULE: Next week's "repeat" race, the tires go one step softer down the range. And, it's supposed to be very hot on race day. Nobody is going to stretch their tires out for 40 laps. No way, no how.
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