Silverstone - Race

The Brits began their weekend in a grand manner, having their football team go through to the semi-finals of the Euro and, more importantly for those invested in Formula One, with their three drivers qualifying at the very front of the grid. George Russel, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris all wanted to take the win at their home circuit. Was one of them be able to beat the others? Did the championship leader, starting from the second row, find a way past them? Or did someone else unexpectedly slide into the lead of the Silverstone Grand Prix? 

Almost all drivers started the race on medium tires and most strategies included changing them for either hards or softs, provided that rain wouldn't alter the course of the race. Only two drivers chose softs as their first compound and only one, Perez, opted for hards. The Red Bull driver was set to begin the race from the pit lane, as was Gasly. In the end, the Frenchmen didn't start the race at all.

After the lights went out, Russel kept his lead, fighting off Hamilton who followed closely behind. Verstappen secured a place in the top three as he found a way past Norris. Leclerc gained three places, while Hulkenberg fell from 6th to 9th. Albon made contact with Alonso which led to him losing his point-scoring position. A few laps later, things also shook up at the back of the grid with Perez moving up and the two Saubers, who qualified 14th and 16th, falling to 18th and 19th. 

Leclerc, eager to improve his position, stayed right on the tail of Stroll in front of him. On top of chasing the Aston Martin, he needed to watch out for Hulkenberg, who stayed within his DRS. The three cars were locked in their positions for quite a few laps. On lap 14, Leclerc found a way past Stroll, in a move that put the Ferrari driver right behind his teammate.

Norris consistently put pressure on the Red Bull in front of him, doing everything in his power to get back on the podium. To the excitement of his home fans, he completed the move at the very end of lap 15. And he wasn't the only McLaren that found a way past Verstappen: Piastri overtook the Dutchman only two laps after his teammate. 

The situation on track was anything but stable as the sight of viewers putting on their raincoats alerted everyone to the incoming rain. Hamilton used the change of conditions to slide past Russel and the younger Brit tried to take the place back, creating a fight that ended with both Mercedes driving off track. Ever-so-resourceful Piastri took advantage of their distractions and overtook first Russel and then Hamilton, creating a temporary McLaren 1-2.  

Trying to get ahead of the other cars, drivers like Leclerc and Perez drove into the pits and changed their tires for intermediates. The decision proved to be disastrous and virtually ended the race for both of them. The track quickly dried up and they lost over 12 seconds on every lap. By the time it rained again, their tries were worn out and needed to be changed, destroying any advantage they might have gotten. 

By lap 26 the rest of the grid drove down the pits to put on tires more fit for the rainy weather. Verstappen and Sainz were the first cars from the top six to make the choice, with Norris, Hamilton, and Russel following them one lap later. Piastri was the only top car to stay out, a move which proved disastrous for his race as by the time he did pit, he fell from first to sixth. 

Terrible news for all Mercedes fans came on lap 34 when George Russel was told to retire the car because of a water system issue. Hamilton became the only Silver Arrow left on track and began putting pressure on Lando Norris, lapping almost a 0.7s quicker than the McLaren. 

With the rain a thing of the past, the time came for one last pit stop for each of the drivers. Hamilton and Verstappen drove down the pit lane at lap 38, while Norris stayed out for another lap. Hamilton and Norris both chose to bolt on softs, while Verstappen opted for hards instead. McLaren provided Norris with a less-than-perfect pit stop which helped Hamilton to overtake him before the younger Brit could drive out from the pit lane. This made Hamilton the new race leader. 

With only four laps to go and despite his hard tires, Verstappen overtook Norris and began chasing Hamilton for the race win. Sainz had an opportunity for a free pit stop since Hulkenberg was more than 27 seconds behind him, and he happily took it. He bolted on a new set of softs and got the fastest lap of the race. 

In the end, Hamilton took his 104th career win, beating the record for the most races won at a single track. His amazing drive broke his long, winless streak and brought hope back into the hearts of all Mercedes fans. Verstappen and Norris stood next to him on the podium but that day, without a doubt belonged to Sir Lewis Hamilton, one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. 

Order of the grid:

1. Lewis Hamilton

2. Max Verstappen

3. Lando Norris

4. Oscar Piastri

5. Carlos Sainz

6. Nico Hulkenberg

7. Lance Stroll

8. Fernando Alonso

9. Alex Albon

10. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Logan Sargeant

12. Kevin Magnussen

13. Daniel Ricciardo 

14. Charles Leclerc

15. Valtteri Bottas

16. Esteban Ocon

17. Sergio Perez

18. Zhou Guanyu

DNF: George Russel and Pierre Gasly