A collision on the first lap took out Max Verstappen and despite a consequent 10-second penalty, Hamilton hung on to win his first race in six.
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The Silverstone Circuit served up yet another classic Formula One race on Sunday as Lewis Hamilton roared back into the championship picture with a victory that can only be described as absolutely legendary. The British Grand Prix was one filled with excitement, drama, controversy, and just a whole hour of adrenaline-filled action. In the first lap itself, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crashed out after what seemed like a slight contact from Hamilton’s front tyres on Verstappen’s rears. The Red Bull spun a few times before heavily crashing into the barricade, ending the Dutch driver’s race right there. The Red Bull team was absolutely livid and even called for Hamilton’s suspension in the next race. Mercedes, on the other hand, tried their level best to save their ace driver from a penalty but to no avail.
There was a red flag at this point and a long halt as investigation ensued over whether Hamilton was actually at fault for the crash or whether it was just a racing accident. The Brit knew that he had to give it his all to stay alive in the championship picture and he did exactly that. It was the kind of aggression from the defending champion that was last seen during his heated rivalry with Nico Rosberg five years ago.
At this point, Hamilton was second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. He was then hit with a 10-second penalty which saw him fall to the fifth position behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. However, the seven-time world champion brought out his abilities to the maximum and showed why he will be regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. With around 20 laps to go, Hamilton started picking up the pace. He caught up to Norris and passed him, and was now behind his Mercedes teammate Valterri Bottas. He was let to pass by the German and Hamilton focused on Leclerc and the pole position.
It was perhaps fitting that Hollywood actor Tom Cruise was a guest in the Mercedes camp for the race as what Hamilton pulled off is nothing short of mission impossible. With only three more laps to go, Leclerc lost a bit of control and went off track. It was the perfect opportunity for Hamilton to go past him and he took full advantage.
After a 10-second penalty, and being in fifth place with less than half the race to go, Hamilton drove like the champion the world knows him to be, and took the pole position. The 2021 British GP will arguably go down in history as one of Hamilton’s greatest ever performances, and one of the classic races at the Silverstone Circuit.
Leclerc drove like a champion as well and he might be disappointed with the finish, but nobody can take anything away from him. He was brilliant as he finished in second place. Bottas finished in third as Norris managed to hold on to fourth place.
Norris’ teammate Daniel Ricciardo finished in fifth place with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finishing behind him in sixth. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso put up a decent performance as well as he finished in seventh place with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in the eighth position. Stroll’s partner Esteban Ocon finished in ninth while AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda managed to bag tenth place.
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