According to Jukka Mildh, the crash site of the opening lap is one of the most challenging first corners in the F1 series. Carlos Sainz, who took his opening victory, made an important decision in terms of the final result.
The Silverstone GP held on Sunday was the most interesting and exciting race of the season so far. Especially at the end of the race, we saw hard racing when Ferrari’s Charles LeclercMercedes Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Sergio Perez were fighting for two podium positions.
Leclerc fought bravely on the old hard tires against Perez and Hamilton, who were driving on the new soft compounds. The rankings changed here. It was racing at its best.
The Spanish driver of Ferrari drove to the first victory of his career Carlos Sainz, 27, who benefited from the safety car at the end. Perez was second, Hamilton third and Leclerc fourth. Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas the race ended in suspension.
The most telling situation of the competition was, however, Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou scary looking drive out. Urheilu Jukka Mildh analyzes the events of the tenth race weekend of the season.
How did the race end?
According to Mildh, the victory of the race was decided by Sainz’s initiative. The Spaniard, who started from the pole, kept his first place after the restart.
A little later, Sainz slipped onto the grass due to a driving error. Red Bull Max Verstappen took advantage of the error and advanced to second.
However, Verstappen had problems with his car and Sainz returned to the lead. However, after the first pit stop, teammate Leclerc passed Sainz and seemed to be driving to victory.
by Esteban Ocon however, the Alpine car that froze on the main straight brought the safety car onto the track on lap 39. Sainz, who was second, reacted to this and got new soft tires.
– Sainz was very unyielding. He opposed the team’s decisions and used common sense. He got what he wanted. Sainz was able to turn the internal struggle of the team against Leclerc in favor.
Instead, Leclerc, who was in the lead, was not taken into the pit by Ferrari. The Monaco driver, who drove perfectly, suffered another misfortune.
– Ferrari was very slow in its decisions. They tried to tactic too much for Leclerc, but it didn’t work. Somehow the creativity was lacking. Ferrari was still the only team with two cars at the top in the game.
What are we talking about?
By far the most talked about event was Alfa Romeo’s Zhou’s violent accident on the opening lap. The situation started with Mercedes of George Russell and AlphaTaurin Pierre Gaslyn from the hit. Bystander Zhou’s car seemed to bounce and at high speed flew upside down over the tire embankment and into the metal fence.
The cameramen at that point were frighteningly close to being run over by Zhou’s car. However, they and the Chinese driver survived the dangerous situation with a scare.
Zhou, who underwent a medical check-up, was seen in the pit after the race in good health.
– When a car flies over tire barriers into a fence, it’s very unusual nowadays. It’s great that he got out of the situation with his skin intact. I believe that the situation will become a topic of discussion at the meetings of the FIA, the F1 series, the team and the drivers.
In addition to Zhou, Russell and Gasly, also Oco and Williams Alexander Albon were involved in a violent crash. Russell speculated that the cause of the crash was the drivers’ different tire compounds.
– The initial acceleration at the start was mixed. The first corner of Silverstone is one of the Fastest first corners in the F1 series. It is not braked in the same way as normal. When the situation escalates, there will be hits.
Who surprised?
According to Mildh, Mercedes was the most successful or surprising of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton, who started from grid five, was at a very good pace in the race.
The seven-time world champion was even able to match the pace of the Ferrari duo at the start of the race. He also led the race for the first time this season.
– Mersu seemed to work really well in the competition. The way Hamilton was able to drive the car was a crowning achievement. For the continuation, it is significant that Mercedes’ development package worked for the first time. The fact that Hamilton drives with a serious attitude and a good mood is good for the Games.
What about Bottas?
Bottas’ weekend could be characterized as invisible. He wasn’t really involved in any situation.
The Finn’s race ended with an interruption before the halfway mark. For Bottas, the fact that he lost to his teammate Zhou for the third time in a row is a bit worrying. However, qualifying was run in rain, which Bottas suffered at the end of the second section.
– It was another weekend of adversity. If the qualifying weather had been good, I think Alfa Romeo would have been a good car.
Mildh names Alfa Romeo’s weekend as a disappointment, although the qualifying pace was delayed due to the rain. Zhou was ninth in qualifying.
– I see it as a good thing that Zhou’s pace is accelerating all the time. The car has a lot of potential.