ONLINE AROUND THE WORLD ON F1 GP MONDAYs >> Issue 224 >> MONDAY JUL 6 2015

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home-town hero
How Lewis Hamilton beat the rain and
out-smarted Williams to win at Silverstone
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OPENING SHOT

British Grand Prix

July 2, 2015
Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 50mm, 1/6400 sec f/1.2

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British Grand Prix

July 3, 2015
Photographer: Manuel Goria, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 500mm, 1/1000 sec f/8

British Grand Prix

July 3, 2015
Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 16mm, 1/500 sec f/23

OPENING SHOT

OPENING SHOT

British Grand Prix

July 3, 2015
Photographer: Manuel Goria, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 200mm, 1/400 sec f/8

OPENING SHOT

British Grand Prix

July 3, 2015
Photographer: Manuel Goria, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 500mm, 1/500 sec f/7.1

British Grand Prix

July 3, 2015
Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 21mm, 1/640 sec f/13

OPENING SHOT

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British Grand Prix

July 3, 2015
Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 122mm, 1/500 sec f/8

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British Grand Prix

July 4, 2015
Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images
Camera: Nikon D4
Shot at 280mm, 1/1000 sec f/4

F1

>>> news

Alonso out front despite

being at the back
Fernando Alonso may not be at the front end of
the Formula One grid this year, nor does it seem
likely that he will be back to his winning ways
anytime soon, however he does lead all his
fellow racers when it comes to salary.
It has been reported that the double world
champion is at the top of the list when it comes
to how much his bosses pay him to race, even
if it is only for a handful of laps before his Honda
powered McLaren forces him into retirement.
However, the Spaniards expertise in the Formula
One is sought after enough for Honda to pay him
a whopping 27million as they attempt to regain a
foothold in the sport.
Alonso is thought by many to be the complete
package when it comes to Formula One, and this
salary certainly indicates that Honda feel that way,
however there insiders at Ferrari suggest his lack of
feedback in testing counts against him.
Meanwhile, the man who took Fernandos place
this season at the Maranello squad, Sebastien
Vettel, is the second highest paid racer. The
four time world champion is sitting on a very
comfortable 19million to put Ferrari back at the top

of the championship standings. With the season

almost at the half way mark, it appears as if Ferrari
is getting their monies worth as Vettel sits third in
the drivers championship.
In comparison, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who
is rumoured to only have one more race after
Silverstone to show his mettle, is paid 6million
less at 13million, an amount that is still worthy of
a former world champion.
So what of current world champion Lewis
Hamilton, who was recently rumoured to
have signed a 100million three year deal with
Mercedes? If Business Book is correct the top
British racer is only the third highest paid driver
with Mercedes shelling out 18million. Teammate
Nico Rosberg meanwhile, is worth 8million less
with a cited salary of just 10million.
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo meanwhile, is
forced to battle through on just 1.1million, the
Australian driver the lowest paid driver to have
won a race on the entire grid. Even Lotus racer,
Pastor Maldonado, who has only taken one victory
compared to Ricciardos three, earns 3million.
Danni Kvyat is paid even less at just 500,000.

driver salaries
Fernando Alonso
Sebastian Vettel
Lewis Hamilton
Kimi Raikkonen
Nico Rosberg
Jenson Button
Felipe Massa
Nico Hulkenberg
Sergio Perez
Romain Grosjean

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27,000,000
19,000,000
18,000,000
13,000,000
10,000,000
7,000,000
3,000,000
3,000,000
3,000,000
3,000,000

Pastor Maldonado
Valtteri Bottas
Daniel Ricciardo
Danii Kvyat
Max Verstappen
Carlos Sainz
Felipe Nasr
Marcus Ericsson
Will Stevens
Roberto Merhi

3,000,000
1,300,000
1,100,000
500,000
200,000
200,000
100,000
100,000
50,000
50,000

GPWEEK.com // 10

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F1

>>> news

WEEK.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Chris Lambden
publisher@gpweek.com
EDITOR
Mat Coch
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Formula 1:
Mike Doodson
Paolo Filisetti (F1 Tech Editor)
Sean Kelly
Robyn Schmidt
Social Media:
Ernie Black
Photography
Sutton Motorsport Images
www.sutton-images.com
Keith Sutton keith@gpweek.com:
Mark Sutton, Daniel Kalisz, Mirko
Stange, Dirk Klynsmith
Published by
Grand Prix Week Ltd
61 Watling Street, Towcester
Northants NN12 6AG
United Kingdom
Publisher
Chris Lambden
publisher@gpweek.com
ADVERTISING
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gpweek@ntlworld.com
Ph: + 44 1273 232 566
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Mark Sutton
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SE Asia, Australasia
GPWEEK (Australia)
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force india bullish over new car

Force India turned up at the Silverstone

Circuit for their home race this
weekend with a B spec version of the
VJM08 that started 2015.
One of the most noticeable changes
was the nostrils incorporated into the
nose to help improve aerodynamics. Aside
from the aggressive look, the change
has alerted the rest of the grid who are
eagerly watching for improvements from
the team on track.
The nostrils are just one part of the

new upgrades with the rest of the cars

front end also heavily revised while the
rear of the car is benefiting with much
neater and tighter packaging.
As team boss Vijay Mallya explained on
Friday, the car that started the year was
little more than a modified version of last
years car, so while this updated car may
be classed as a B spec, it is in fact the
VJM08 and, so far, he is very impressed
with what he has seen.
All of us have been eagerly awaiting

the British Grand Prix and the launch of

our new B-spec car, he said. I was very
impressed when I first saw it myself.
There is a lot of aerodynamic innovation in
it and it looks lean and mean.
Currently fifth in the teams
championship and 24 points behind Red
Bull, Mallya is hoping that this, and further
upgrades in the future, will see the team
challenge Red Bull for fourth place.
I think we still have to optimise the
package that we have, he confirmed.

There will be the inevitable upgrades

that will come in future races, so we are
hopeful to have a strong second half of
the season, gradually improving race by
race.
"Red Bull are about 23 or 24 points
ahead, Lotus are breathing down our
necks, were used to that, but I wouldnt
be overly optimistic if I said we are
targeting fourth in the championship this
year.

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GPWEEK.com // 12

F1

Briefly
aston to f1?
Reports from the UK claimed
Aston Martin was in talks with
Red Bull to become its engine
supplier with a strong of
rebranded Mercedes units. It's
a rumour denied by Merc boss
Niki Lauda.
it'll buff out
When Romain Grosjean
beached his car in the gravel
during practice the Frenchman
apologised to his team by
grabbing a rag and a can of
polish and cleaning it himself.
THE NEED FOR SPEED
While some suggest Sunday
was Jenson Button's last British
Grand Prix, the former world
champ has ruled out a move
to Formula E, saying it lacks
the 'smell, sound and speed' or
proper racing.
ANOTHER NEW RACE
Thailand has announced it
wants a Grand Prix next year,
according to its sports chief
Sakol Wannapong
GO EAST
Set to host its first grand prix
next year, contruction work
on the street circuit in Baku,
Azerbaijan, is reportedly began
last week.
WONDER DOG
Lewis Hamilton shared a picture
of himself and dog Roscoe on
his motorcycle. Ex-driver David
Coulthard says Hamilton's
rebellious nature is good for F1
and is making him a superstar.

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>>> news

WEBBER LIFTS THE LID ON THE RB/VETTEL FEUD

Mark Webbers autobiography, Aussie
Grit (what else), released last week
in Australia and shortly in Europe,
certainly answers most of the questions
the Aussie felt unable to speak out on
while he still drove for the Red Bull
team. If you are inclined to take one of
F1s straight-talkers at face value, then
the whole Vettel-Marko-Horner conflict
was every bit as bitter and wearing as it
appeared from the outside.
Ultimately, Webber places more of
the blame on the team, rather than rival
Vettel, suggesting that team principal
Christian Horner was powerless to control
the overtly pro-Vettel pressure exerted by
Helmut Marko, Red Bull owner Dietrich
Mateschitzs day-to-day representative at
Red Bull Racing.
One of the most telling revelations
follows on from the infamous Multi-21
controversy at the 2013 Malaysian Grand
Prix. Not only was Sebastian Vettels
spontaneous podium apology not followed
through on, but the team subsequently
found itself reading a stern letter from the
Germans lawyer, claiming that the team
had breached his contract by giving him
an unreasonable instruction/order. Marko
had, in the interim, clearly intervened.
Vettels personal follow-up that, while he
respected Mark as a driver, he had no
respect for him as a person, was the final
straw, the day Webber belatedly concluded
that the team had lost control; that the
team ie Horner, under pressure from
Helmut Marko could not control its two
drivers. It was literally then that he decided
to solve the problem for them, by retiring.
Webber doesnt hold back as he
discusses the other controversies along
the way the Turkish GP clash; the
Silverstone front wing swap, and so
on. Given the high-profile nature of that
clash of ideals and personalities across

his several F1 seasons with Vettel at Red

Bull, it is no surprise that it dominates the
three-quarters of what is a compelling read
that is devoted to his F1 career. Indeed,
Red Bulls management isnt the only one
to cop some harsh evaluation Williams,
to which he went with such high hopes, is
revealed as an organisation living off its
past glories and, as he puts it, providing
his lowest time in F1.
While it is those controversial moments
which will attract much reader interest and
review comment, Aussie Grit captures
much of the positivity of a colourful F1
career the dramatic debut, with Minardi;
the the Jaguar years, with a team punching
above its weight; and not to forget GP
wins at some of the classic F1 races, in
particular Monaco, with Red Bull.
That, of course, is only part of the Mark
Webber story.
The rest is about a kid from a little
Australian town who wanted to get to F1;
the uncharacteristic path that led there;
the oft-repeated question How the
f**k is a boy from Queanbeyan going to
get into Formula 1? and the unique
part that Webbers partner Ann Neal
played in making it happen. Their personal
relationship, for so long hidden from
the outside world, is discussed frankly
including the near-disastrous split which
threatened to bring everything crashing
down.
From the early days of Formula Ford in
Australia with father Al, through to the FF
Festival win, Formula 3, the crucial help
from an Australian international sporting
star, the professionalism of the Mercedes
sports car team and then the disastrous
weekend at Le Mans in 1999 which
threatened to destroy his career, the Team
Webber story is one of those books thats
hard to put down.

GPWEEK.com // 13

F1

F1
F1 >>>
>>> news
news

>>> news

CM

MY

CY

CMY

crisis? what crisis?

Amid reports fans are leaving

Formula 1 in droves, it was
refreshing to hear Silverstone
boast a sell-out crowd.
An expected 350,000 fans
seemed not to notice any of the
negativity surrounding the sport
and flocked to Silverstone, a figure
partially helped by discounting
tickets in the final few weeks - of
course the good weather in the
week ahead of the weekend and
the fact that one of their own is
leading the World Championship
didn't hurt, either.
Williams deputy team boss,
Claire Williams praised the British

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circuit for all their efforts.

Its great. Silverstone has
done, as they always do I know
Im biased because I used to
work here but theyve done
a fantastic job in their ticket
promotions and selling their
tickets, she said.
"I think were lucky with the
weather, its unusual for Britain in
summer to have such a glorious
weekend ahead.
"But I think that does say a
lot about our sport and I think it
does say a lot, still, about how
passionate British fans are but they
are probably fans from all over the

world coming to watch us race at

Silverstone this weekend.
McLarens Eric Boulier was
also thrilled with the packed
grandstands and was quick to point
out that it's not the only event
so far this season that has seen
attendance figures on the rise.
Obviously its great to see all the
British fans around and to have a
new record of attendance, so Ive
been told, but Ive also been told
that Australia and definitely Canada
was up by ten percent as well so
its good to see that our sport is
great and attracting people to the
grandstands, he said.

GPWEEK.com // 14

F1

>>> news

Partridge 1885 retains pole position to clinch

Rolex Trophy 2014 at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
After a near faultless
performance from the start,
the Victorian gaff rig cutter
Partridge 1885 owned by the
Jean Boulle Group won the
prestigious 2014 Rolex Trophy
at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez,
the regatta which closes the
Mediterranean race season and
attracts 300 classic and modern
yachts every year.
It was a superb win for this
yacht, built in 1885, which coped
admirably with unpredictable
conditions. Skippered by
Alexander Laird, Partridge and
her crew set the bar high by
winning the first race in both
real and corrected time, before
raising her game in the second

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to finish a comfortable first 24

minutes ahead on corrected time.
And while she did not manage
to pull off the hat-trick on the
final day, she did more than
enough to clinch victory in the
overall ranking.
Its a great honour to win the
Rolex Trophy. The crew has
been incredible and throughout
the week we were very focused
on manoeuvring and calling
tactics as the weather conditions
werent easy. Im very happy as
its an accolade for us and above
all for the boat, said Alexander
Laird, skipper of Partridge.
Like many yachts built in the
late 18th and early 19th century,
their history involves many

fine years sailing in the English

Channel, before eventually being
abandoned in a mudflat.
The story of Partridge runs
a similar course until she was
rescued from anonymity in 1980
from the Blackwater River in
Essex. After a long restoration,
completed in 1998, Partridge
began a new career in the South
of France where her elegant
silhouette has graced many a
regatta over the years. With this
excellent win, Partridge can add
another trophy to her list.
At the 2015 Monaco Classic
Week (September 9-13), this
doyenne of the Mediterranean
classic yacht circuit will
celebrate her 130th anniversary.

more sponsors is good

news for manor and f1
When the Manor arrived in Melbourne for the
season opening grand prix, fans breathed a
huge sigh of relief. After losing the team and
one other at the end of 2014, the turnaround of
the Marissia Manor team was nothing short of
a miracle.
No sponsors or funds to speak of eight races
ago after raising the team from the ashes, the
team now looks to have turned a corner of sorts
by taking to the track at their home grand prix with
another brand new sponsor in tow - their second in
a month.
A new partnership with Flex Box, sees the
MR03B dressed in red and blue with the new

deal and colours will remain with the team for the
remainder of the 2015 season.
This deal follows on from a similar
announcement in Canada when the squad began
collaborating with Airbnb.
It is very rewarding for us to be able to welcome
likeminded brands to join us on that journey
and assist them in achieving their own global
objectives, said team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.
With all the negativity surrounding Formula
One of late, news of these two sponsors for the
smallest team on the grid is extremely good news
both on and off the circuit.

GPWEEK.com // 15

F1

>>> news

FUTURE SHOCK
While Formula 1 continues to
debate changes to perk up the
on-track action, Dutch graphic
artist Andries van Overbeeke
has turned his attention to
just how a futuristic F1 car
could look especially if overcockpit canopies are introduced
to provide additional driver
protection.
Whether or not you agree
with the concept of enclosed
F1 cars, we just had to feature
Andries' exceptional work, outlining
his perspective on just how a
McLaren (liveried in some cases
in the compay's iconic 'Marlboro'
colours) might look under those
circumstances.
It's an interesting concept ...
(Reproduced with thanks to Andries
van Overbeeke)

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GPWEEK.com // 16

OPINION

OPINION

LEWIS AND THE TROPHIES PART II

MIKE
DOODSON

The publicists at Silverstone used

to boast about their circuit's
tendency to produce uncannily
close finishes, and boy did the
old place live up to its reputation
on Sunday. From the upsets
triggered by an over-optimistic
Daniel Ricciardo at the first corner
which eliminated both Lotuses
and one McLaren (David Coulthard
amusingly described it on the
BBC as "expensive ping-pong"), to
Lewis Hamilton's inspired decision
to pit for wet intermediate Pirellis
at exactly the right moment, this
was a race which will live in the
memory forever.
Nobody could have been happier,
of course, than Hamilton himself,
whose visionary call had enabled
him to lay his hands on the Royal
Automobile Club's magnificent
Perpetual Trophy, now officially his
all-time favourite, for the third time
in his career. He was still clutching it
in the broadcasters' pen afterwards
when he came down from the postrace press conference to do the TV
interviews.
As this column revealed last year, a
bureaucratic slip almost cost Lewis
his rendezvous with the RAC's
bauble after winning the same race
in 2014. Instead, at least to begin
with, he had to make do with a sorrylooking plastic thing which race

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sponsor Santander had ill-advisedly

commissioned in a competition for
art students in Spain and Britain. It
fell apart in the grip of the unhappy
recipient, who immediately called
for the real McCoy, in gold, which
has been given to the winner of the
British GP ever since the first race to
be run as such, at Silverstone in 1948.
Regular readers will know that 12
months ago someone, whose name
I know, had been personally tasked
with ensuring that both the plastic
and the gold trophies were on hand
for the podium ceremony. Alas, he
forgot. Cue loud whingeing from
Mr Hamilton while our anonymous
scatter-brain dashed off to grab it
from the security of his nearby office.
Man and trophy were duly reunited,
although the chance to get them
together on the podium was denied
to the photographers.
Lewis's beef about trophies,
which I happen to share, is that the
old-fashioned cups and rose-bowls
beloved of him and me are being
replaced by objects which may say
something about the sponsors who
pay for them but which too often look
terrible. Just because the sponsors
and race promoters happen to be
shovelling millions into the pockets
of Bernie Ecclestone's ravenous
employer, they are not exempt from
the duty to provide trophies of a
size and design which reflect the
significance of the race itself.
"We just need to make better
trophies it's shocking how bad
the trophies are," Hamilton told
pressmen in the week before
Silverstone. "The trophies are as good
as ... well, at kart level, it was really
bad. In Formula Renault it was just

little boxes with a car in the middle.

Formula 3 was good, and at the
beginning of my Formula 1 career the
trophies were really good. But now
they are just terrible, man. They are
so bad. I told Bernie and he got the
trophy guy in the room and I just said,
'you know'."
Well, yes, we probably do know.
Just to remind ourselves, though,
let me say that back in the days
of traditional metal trophies at F1
events, the lack of imagination of
their designers was to be revealed
all too often. I wish I had a quid for
every time I've seen a driver loft his
award only for the base to fall off it on
to his foot. For sheer idiocy, though, it
would be hard to beat the impressive
silver chalice which was handed to a
very sweaty Nigel Mansell in Rio de
Janeiro in 1989, scene of his totally
unexpected first-time-out victory with
a fragile Ferrari in 1989.
The body of the cup was decorated
with dozens of winged curlicues
made from razor-sharp slivers of
metal. OK, this was a situation which
could have been created specifically
for the notoriously injury-prone
Englishman, whose hands were
slashed all over as he juggled the pot.
He'd just risked his life for almost
two hours on the track only to find
himself seeking medical assistance
for the very nasty wounds he'd
picked up on the podium ...
For whatever reason, this year's
British GP went ahead without a
naming sponsor. Thus the RAC
Perpetual Trophy would take pride
of place when the top three came
up to receive their awards. It's an
interesting bit of ironmongery (not
solid gold as I suggested last year,

but gold-plated silver) whose origins

seem to have been lost in the mists
of time. In fact it's been hanging
around the RAC's London HQ since
long before it made that appearance
at Silverstone in 1948. One theory is
that it may have been awarded more
than 100 years ago as first prize in the
RAC's annual snooker competition,
restricted to club members.
Yet another yarn associates the
cup with Charles (C S) Rolls (18771910), an engineer whose partnership
with fellow motoring pioneer Henry
Royce almost certainly began when
they met at the Automobile Club in
London, before the establishment
received the Royal seal of approval.
There is a Latin inscription on the
base of the trophy which reads
"Floreat Etona" ("May Eton flourish"),
the link being that Rolls had been a
pupil at Eton school.
Something else which I have
discovered from my knowledgeable
sources at Silverstone is that Lewis
Hamilton is not the only latter-day
racing driver with a soft spot for
the famous trophy. Former Red
Bull heroes Sebastian Vettel and
Mark Webber, both of whom have
won the race, were not too happy
about having to return their prize
after one year in their care. So they
got together and commissioned a
silversmith who made two 75percent
copies for them to put on their
mantelpieces.
Come to think of it, I should
have mentioned that to Lewis after
the race. Knowing him, he'll plead
poverty and persuade those nice
Mercedes people to pay for him to
have his own copy.

GPWEEK.com // 17

OPINION

OPINION

give them a break

mat
Coch
Editor
There's was a great moment during
Sunday's post-race press conference
when Sebastian Vettel picked up Lewis
Hamilton's winners trophy and ran his
critical eye over it.
The trophy for winning the British
Grand Prix is unique in that it doesn't

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belong to the driver. Instead he gets his

name inscribed on it, along with all past
winners of the race, much in the way the
Stanley Cup in ice hockey is. Still, the
grand, golden chalice is one of the most
coveted on the calendar - not because
of what it is but because of what it
represents.
It's a connection to the likes of Jim
Clark, who won the British Grand Prix
five times (four in a row), to the likes of
Nigel Mansell and Jackie Stewart. It's a
part of Formula 1 heritage and tradition, a
legacy of sorts in a sport where things are
becomming ever more transient.
Call me old-fashioned but I for one love

the history of the sport. My bookshelves

are filled with tomes on the likes of Mike
Hawthorn or Juan-Manuel Fangio and
even stretch back to the sports pre-war
era. Motorsport is rich with history, and
that's not something many sports can
boast.
So it saddens me to learn historic,
traditional events like the Italian Grand
Prix are under threat. The Italian Grand
Prix is so much more than Italy's round of
the world championship, it is a celebration
of everything Italian in motorsport. The
fabled Monza circuit is a Formula 1 fan's
equivilent of the Temple Mount, Golgotha
or Grand Mosque. Monza is other-worldly.
What makes matters worse is the
race isn't under threat because there's
no interest, or the circuit is falling apart,
but because not enough bank notes
have thus far been found to stuff in the

envelope labelled 'For Bernie'.

Of course I can see Bernie
Ecclestone's side of things. His job is to
extract maximum milk for minimum moo
from each and every cash cow in the
paddock. He's got bosses to answer for
and they're interested in the sport not for
its heritage but for its earning capacity.
So we can't really blame Bernie, he's
just doing his job, but we can blame the
sport's owner, CVC.
One interesting suggestion put to me
a week or two back was much like the
financial arrangement for some of the
prestigious teams. It's widely known
Ferrari and a handful of other old-timers
on the F1 grid get extra payments
because of their value to the sport, so
why not extend the same to the circuits?
Silverstone has been on and off the
calendar since it held the first world

championship Formula 1 race in 1950 and

Monza only missed 1980. So if the sport
gives breaks to McLaren and Williams,
who only joined the grid in the 1960s
and 70s, why not put something in place
to recognise some of these important
events?
Ultimately the difference to the sports
bottom dollar would be comparatively
small. In return it generates a huge
amount of goodwill among the sport
and with the fans. It would enable
some of these old events to sell out,
like Silverstone did on the weekend, by
allowing promoters to charge reasonable
ticket prices.
There are so many potentially positive
knock-ons by giving some of these
circuits a break. Hell, it might even mean
television figures rise, and if we're honest
that's where the big bucks are anyway.

GPWEEK.com // 18

THE MOMENT...

It's one of the most iconic images in Formula One history;

Nigel Mansell gives Ayrton Senna a lift back to the pits
after Senna retired in the closing stages of the 1991 British
Grand Prix.
(Sutton Images archive 1960-2015. Over 900,000 images
available online for search and print order)

THE MOMENT...

Race winner Jim Clark heads the pack during the 1967
British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Clark made the British
Grand Prix his own in the 1960s, winning five times
between 1962 and his final appearance at the event in 1967.
(Sutton Images archive 1960-2015. Over 900,000 images
available online for search and print order)

Perfect timing

F1

>>> BRITAIN

A blistering out-lap and a perfectly timed switch to intermediate

tyres saw Lewis Hamilton reign supreme on home turf

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GPWEEK.com // 21

F1
It was anything but straightforward for Lewis Hamilton as he
overcame a poor start, a pair of
fiesty Williams', the weather and
even a hard-charging teammate to
win in Silverstone. Of his grand prix
wins, it was certainly one of the
more impressive.
Hamilton had predicted his fate at
the start as he pulled away on the
formation lap. His revised clutch, the
bane of his races since the Spanish
Grand Prix, was working well but
under his rear wheels there was no
traction. He slipped to second as
Felipe Massa catapulted off the line.
He went wheel-to-wheel with
Valtteri Bottas, who was guilty of not
defending as well as he might, in
the opening corners and gained the
upper hand there, only to lose it at the
restart.
Not for the first time this season
both Lotus drivers had managed to
find the same piece of tarmac. Both
McLaren drivers wanted it too and of
the four three of them were out on
the spot. It was the worst possible
start for Lotus, the poorest of results
imaginable at a time when it needs to
score points.
It's battling Force India in the
constructors championship and given
the Silverstone-based team debuted
a new car - which looked both mean
on track and competitive - Lotus
simply has to maximise its chances.
Both Romain Grosjean and Pastor
Maldonado have under-performed in
2015 and regardless of whose fault
the opening lap clash at Silverstone
was both deserve having their heads
banged together until they see sense.
So too do the two Williams drivers.
While it would be unfair to say Felipe
Massa cost the team victory his
actions early in the race certainly
minimised any chances the team had.
When the rain came any pace in the
car disappeared, so perhaps they'd

PARTNERS:

>>> BRITAIN

have fallen back anyway.

In the early stages there is no
doubt Bottas was faster than Massa,
both capable of running ahead of the
Mercedes but Massa was not pulling
away. From a team perspective it
made sense to leave its two drivers
as they were, first and second, but
Hamilton was far too close in third to
make that strategy work.
The Williams pitwall needed to
release Bottas and use Massa as
a stop-gap to help give Bottas the
advantage he needed to spring clear.
Instead the team was indecisive and
that is what ultiamtely cost the team
the lead, if not the race.
Although Bottas had got by
Hamilton at the restart following the
safety car intervention for the first
lap crash, Mercedes were left to
out-smart Williams.
A blistering lap following his pitstop
saw Hamilton leapfrog both Bottas
and Massa after the first round of
stops, from which point it seemed
only a matter of time before Nico
Rosberg found a way through, as he
did when the skies opened.
Rosberg who seemed more at
home in the rain, slicing as much as
two seconds a lap out of Hamilton's
advantage before the Englishman
made what was an inspired decision.
Whether it was his or the team's
call makes little difference and should
go some way to repay Hamilton for
the calamity that was Monaco. As he
trundled into the pit lane, Rosberg
blasted by into the lead. At the time
it seemed Hamilton had cost himself
victory. By the time he'd charged out
of his pit box, on intermediate tyres,
the weather had changed once again.
Hamilton had timed his stop perfectly,
and in doing so had effectively won
the race.
High attrition once again saw
McLaren take a points paying postion,
Fernando Alonso's first for the team

GPWEEK.com // 22

F1

since the 2007 Brazilian Grand

Prix (where he was third).
McLaren had been bouyed
by what it saw as an upturn
in performance in Silverstone,
despite qualifying on the
penultimate row of the grid. Its
cars were only 1.5 seconds off
the time set by Mercedes in the
opening qualifying stanza, which
clearly showed progress around
such a long lap they boasted.
To suggest then that points
were deserved would be

PARTNERS:

stretching things too far. Both

Toro Rossos and Lotus' retired,
as did Daniel Ricciardo - five cars
which could realistically have
been expected to finish ahead
of the McLaren's. Still, Alonso
was running at the finish and that
is a start; to finish first, first one
needs to finish after all. That's
been less than trivial this season.
Alonso was ahead of Marcus
Ericsson though, and that owed
nothing to attrition. Sauber has
fallen back as the year has worn

on, somewhat predictably it

must be said, so there is some
measurable improvement from
McLaren that a team which ran in
the points in Melbourne at round
one was behind it at Silverstone.
Sauber's woes began even
before the race with Felipe Nasr
rolling to a halt on Hanger Straight
on his way to the grid with a
gearbox issue. The Brazilian was a
non-starter as a result.
Ferrari had a race of mixed
fortunes. While on one side of the

garage Sebastian Vettel mirrored

Hamilton's strategy to stop at
the ideal time - and move ahead
of both Williams in the process on the other side a string of poor
strategy calls cost Kimi Raikkonen
dearly.
Raikkonen was one of the few
to gamble during the first shower,
stopping for intermediate tyres
and struggling for pace as a result.
By the time the second shower
arrived and intermediates were
the preferred rubber it was too

late for the Finn.

There are extremely positive
signs at Force India as both its
drivers finished in the points, with
Nico Hulkenberg spending the
first part of the race ahead of
Raikkonen on pure pace. A strong
start from Hulkenberg - which he
described as his best in Formula
- moved him into fifth before the
German was caught out with the
rain late in the race and had to do
an extra lap on slick tyres. Sergio
Perez too waited too long as lost

>>> BRITAIN

out as a result, but still both Force

India's were in the points for the
second consecutive race.
Victory for Hamilton moves
him 17 points clear of Rosberg
at the head of the championship
with ten races remaining. Vettel
remains a looming threat should
Ferrari get its act together
consistently, 59 points off
Hamilton while Mercedes now
has more points than Ferrari
and Williams combined in the
constructors championship.

GPWEEK.com // 23

F1

QUALIFYING

>>> BRITAIN

FORMULA 1 Round 9 BRITISH GP Qualifying

Pos Driver Team

Q1

Lewis Hamilton
1
2
Nico Rosberg
3
Felipe Massa
Valtteri Bottas
4
5
Kimi Raikkonen
Sebastian Vettel
6
7
Daniil Kvyat
8
Carlos Sainz
9
Nico Hulkenberg
10
Daniel Ricciardo
Sergio Perez
11
12
Romain Grosjean
13
Max Verstappen
14
Pastor Maldonado
15
Marcus Ericsson
Felipe Nasr
16
17
Fernando Alonso
18
Jenson Button
19
Will Stevens
20
Roberto Merhi

1:33.796 1:33.068 1:32.248

1:33.475 1:32.737 1:32.361
1:34.542 1:33.707 1:33.085
1:34.171 1:33.020 1:33.149
1:33.426 1:33.911 1:33.379
1:33.562 1:33.641 1:33.547
1:34.422 1:33.520 1:33.636
1:24.641 1:34.071 1:33.649
1:34.594 1:33.693 1:33.673
1:34.272 1:33.749 1:33.943
1:34.250 1:34.268
1:34.646 1:34.430
1:34.819 1:34.502
1:34.877 1:34.511
1:34.643 1:34.868
1:34.888
1:34.959
1:35.207
1:37.364
1:39.377
1:40.362

Mercedes
Mercedes
Williams
Williams
Ferrari
Ferrari
Red Bull
Toro Rosso
Force India
Red Bull
Force India
Lotus
Toro Rosso
Lotus
Sauber
Sauber
McLaren
McLaren
Manor
Manor
Q1 107% Time

Q2

Q3

LAPS
14
14
21
19
19
18
22
19
21
20
14
9
14
16
13
7
8
9
9
8

What difference a day makes

Between Friday and Saturday,
Lewis Hamiltons British Grand
Prix turned around.
On Friday the Englishman was
nowhere, comparatively, and
seemingly had no answers. He
said as much himself. He was
slow and he was lost. At that
point Nico Rosberg seemed to
hold all the cards. He was fastest
in both Friday sessions, even with
gearbox problems.
Whatever it was Mercedes
found on Friday night made all
the difference. Hamilton was

PARTNERS:

fastest in final practice and

took that pace into qualifying.
His advantage over Rosberg
was slender, but from where
hed been to where he ended
Saturday afternoon was night
and day.
Rosberg continued to have
gearbox problems in final
practice and had limited running
as a result. They were different
gearbox issues to those which
halted him on track on Friday,
but nonetheless the German
managed only a few flying laps

in the dying stages of practice to

prepare for qualifying.
Still, the pair locked out the
front row with Hamilton ahead
to the delight of the partisan
crowd and comfortably so. Had
it been a trouble free run up to
qualifying its entirely plausible
that both Mercedes would have
been further ahead still.
Silverstone is one of the
longest circuits of the year, so
larger gaps were expected on
the grid, but few could have
predicted the Mercedes would be

eight tenths quicker than the two

Williams.
The Grove team has a habit
of keeping a low profile up to
qualifying. At a time when Toro
Rosso had some dreaming of a
second row start, mostly those
at Toro Rosso, Williams quietly
set about the job at hand and
only showed its pace on Saturday
afternoon. That pace will have
been upsetting for Ferrari, which
most would have agreed looked
the second strongest, no matter
what Max Verstappen and co

might have thought.

In truth, the Toro Rossos
were fast, surprisingly so. Nico
Hulkenberg described their
car as planted as he following
one of the Toro Rosso drivers
through Copse. Around a blustery
old airstrip 'planted' is a solid
foundation on which to build.
But in qualifying something
happened to Verstappen. When
both he and Carlos Sainz had
been comfortably in the top ten,
Verstappen went slower than
his final practice best at a time

when youd expect him to go

faster. The Dutchman was as
confused as everyone else and
complained bitterly of a lack of
traction. He ended the session
just 13th fastest, and not with a
time that made him unlucky to be
knocked out in the session part of
the session. He was more than
two tenths off Romain Grosjean;
Verstappen simply had no pace.
Interestingly Grosjean was
fastest through the speed trap 20kph faster than both McLaren
drivers who both qualified on

GPWEEK.com // 24

F1

QUALIFYING

2015 FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX

the penaultime row of

the grid. McLaren though
continued beating its
chest Alonso was just
1.5 seconds slower than
the fastest time in Q1,
which is a positive of sorts
around a long circuit like
Silverstone. The Spaniard
managed it even with
a coolant leak in his car,
McLaren gambling to send
him out knowing of the
problem but not having
time to find or fix it.
While McLarens rough
season continues there
was cause for celebration
at Williams. For the first
time since Juan-Pablo
Montoya was on pole in
2002 it had a car in the top

PARTNERS:

52 LAPS

>>> BRITAIN

ROUND 9/19

2015 FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX

QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION

three. Valtteri Bottas raced

to second place last year
after starting outside the
top ten, so hopes were
high of another solid result,
especially as Williams
looked to have the edge
on Ferrari.
Pole position for
Hamilton moved the
Englishman past Sebastian
Vettel in the all-time poles
list. Hamilton now sits
third with 46, trailing only
Ayrton Senna and Michael
Schumacher.
Rosberg though was
banking on the fact that
the last two times hed
started from second he
went on to win the race.

1 Lewis Hamilton surpasses Sebastian Vettel and moves into 3rd on the all-time poles list with #46 this weekend. It has
GPWEEK.com //
taken him 157 races to reach that mark, 10 fewer than Michael Schumacher, although still far slower than Ayrton Senna25
th

nd

F1

>>> BRITAIN

Missed Opportunity
Having commanded the early part of
the race, Williams drivers Felipe Massa
and Valtteri Bottas ultimately faded to
finish fourth and fifth at Silverstone.
The pair had jumped well, Massa
charging into the lead by the first turn
before Bottas moved underneath Lewis
Hamilton at the restart to make it a
Williams 1-2.
But from there the race fell apart.
Despite the hopes of many that the
Grove team might go on to win its first
British Grand Prix since 1997 it's effort

PARTNERS:

fell short. Well short.

Team orders instructed Bottas not to
challenge Massa at the head of the race,
despite the Finn clearly being the faster
of the two. His protestations prompted a
backflip by the team, by which point the
opportunity had gone.
All the while Hamilton lay in wait, ready
to sieze his opportunity at the first round
of stops and undercut both Williams
drivers and take the lead.
There were a few moments in
the race where things didn't go our

way, confessed the teams head of

performance Rob Smedley afterwards.
The pace we showed throughout this
weekend was great, we had a stunning
race up until the rain came.
Both Massa and Bottas struggled when
conditions changed. Nico Rosberg in the
second Mercedes was able to pass them
both while an overly cautious strategy
allowed Sebastian Vettel to take third for
Ferrari.
I had a fantastic start and we were
fighting with Mercedes the whole time,

Massa explained. It could even have

been possible to win the race if it had
stayed dry.
It was a shame to lose positions in
the rain, he added. We waited one lap
longer on the second stop which is where
we lost the opportunity to be on the
podium. That shower also highlighted the
car's weakness in the wet.
Bottas only narrowly clung on to fifth
after coming under pressure from Daniil
Kvyat in the final lap. The Finn struggled
desperately on the intermediate tyre late

in the race, though afterwards he was

more interested in understanding why
hed not been allowed to use his extra
pace in the early stages.
We have to have a look the race data
and make sure we continue to learn from
this, he said.
I was allowed to race Felipe, but it was
hard to get through, and I didn't want to
make any mistakes.
In some ways it was an incredibly
frustrating race, and others it was very
pleasing.

GPWEEK.com // 26

F1

Cardinal Sin

Not for the first time this season,

Lotus grand prix was over soon after
it begun -and again it wasn't thier
fault.
According to Romain Grosjean, as
the field ploughed into turn three, the
first braking zone of the lap, an overzealous Daniel Ricciardo triggered the
chain-reaction.
Daniel must have thought his brakes

PARTNERS:

and tyres would be able to slow him

better than they did, Grosjean explained.
According to the Frenchman, the Red
Bull was the catalyst that saw three
cars eliminated on the opening lap with
Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado and Jenson
Button all victims.
Fernando Alonso, who was also
involved in the scrap, was able to carry on.
The Spaniard had a slightly different view.

We had some problems right from the

first corner with the two Lotuses that
were fighting among themselves in a
very aggressive way, he recalled.
That caused the two McLarens to also
make contact but I was more fortunate
than Jenson because he had to retire on
the spot while I could carry on.
Trying to avoid the crashing Lotus
ahead, Alonso locked his rear brakes,

spearing him into the side of teammate

Jenson Button.
My car jumped quite high and when
I landed all systems shut down, Button
said.
The impact turned the engine off, so
I had to stop. I was alongside Fernando
and didnt realise he wasnt spinning but,
anyway, there was no way I could have
done anything else.

>>> BRITAIN

Alonso managed to escape with just

a broken wing, which the team replaced
at the end of the lap. With the safety car
out to clear the debris the Alonso was
able to catch back up to the back of the
pack despite a slow stop, and with high
attrition went on to claim his first point of
the season.

GPWEEK.com // 27

Reality Check
A weekend that had started so well ultimately
ended in disappointment for Toro Rosso.
The young duo of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen
ran towards the top of the timesheets during practice,
leading many to predict bright things come the race.
When I compare high-speed performance, if we had
the [Mercedes] engine, I think we would be P2 [after
Mercedes], boasted Verstappen on Thursday.
We look at GPS data after every session and
compare ourselves with Ferrari, Williams and even
Mercedes, added Sainz.
After watching our data from Barcelona, I'm
convinced that this car, with a very decent engine, will
be fighting with Williams and, on some occasions, with
Ferrari.
We looked at the data and Turn 3 and Turn 9 in
Barcelona, only Mercedes was quicker than us.
All their optimism came to nothing however when
both drivers failed to finish on Sunday.
The reality check really came on Saturday in
qualifying, when Verstappen could do no better than

PARTNERS:

F1

>>> BRITAIN

13th. A throttle calibration problem was found overnight

and big things were hoped for once again on Sunday
but ultimately ended in the fence.
I didn't have the best of starts, Verstappen admitted.
I was able to escape from the crashes that happened
in front of me, but when the race restarted after the
Safety Car period I suddenly lost the rear of the car at
Turn 2.
Even though I only damaged the front wing a bit, I
wasn't able to reverse and my race ended there.
Sainzs race was slightly longer but equally
disappointing.
During the first stint I struggled a bit, but as soon as
I pitted for another set of tyres we picked up the pace
and started to push, explained the Spaniard.
From then on, it was all going really well, running
comfortably in P9 and waiting for the rain to arrive, but
suddenly my car just switched off and that was the end.
It's a very frustrating way to end the weekend.

GPWEEK.com // 28

F1

Stat Wrap

with Sean Kelly

HAMILTON, ROSBERG AND VETTEL HAVE

FINISHED ON THE PODIUM TOGETHER FIVE
TIMES IN EIGHT PREVIOUS RACES THIS
YEAR
HAMILTON HAS NOW WON AT
SILVERSTONE AS MANY TIMES AS JIM
CLARK, NIGEL MANSELL AND MICHAEL
SCHUMACHER (3) ONLY ALAIN PROST (5)
HAS MORE

Some facts you may have

thought of, and most you
certainly didnt know about the
BRITISH GP!
BOTTAS HAS ONLY FAILED TO SCORE
ONCE THIS SEASON WHEN HE HAS
STARTED THE RACE (MONACO). THIS IS
HIS 21ST CONSECUTIVE RACE FINISH, THE
LONGEST ACTIVE STREAK
DANIIL KVYAT HAS ONLY THE SECOND
TOP SIX FINISH OF HIS CAREER AND RED
BULL'S 27TH CONSECUTIVE POINTS
FINISH

HAMILTONS WIN CAME ON THE 62ND

ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST-EVER WIN
FOR A BRITISH DRIVER (MIKE HAWTHORN,
1953 FRENCH GP)

HULKENBERG SCORES POINTS IN A

THIRD CONSECUTIVE RACE, TYING FORCE
INDIA'S BEST-EVER FINISH AT A BRITISH
GP, LITERALLY THEIR HOME RACE

HAMILTON HAS BROKEN THE RECORD

FOR CONSECUTIVE RACES LED, HELD BY
SIR JACKIE STEWART SINCE 1970 (THIS IS
HIS 18TH RACE LED IN A ROW)

PEREZ HAS A FIRST POINTS FINISH AT

SILVERSTONE SINCE 2011, IT IS ONLY
THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR THAT BOTH
FORCE INDIAS HAVE SCORED IN THE
SAME RACE

THIS IS ONLY THE FOURTH TIME THE

BRITISH GP HAS BEEN WON FROM POLE
SINCE 1997
MERCEDES ARE THE FIRST TEAM IN 62
YEARS TO GET TWO CARS ON THE PODIUM
IN NINE CONSECUTIVE RACES, TYING THE
ALL-TIME F1 RECORD HELD BY FERRARI
SINCE 1953
MASSA HAS A 42ND TOP FOUR FINISH
SINCE THE START OF 2011, ONLY EIGHT OF
WHICH HAVE BEEN ON THE PODIUM
MASSA HAS NOW FINISHED FOURTH ON
THREE OCCASIONS AT SILVERSTONE IN
HIS CAREER WITHOUT EVER BEING ON
THE PODIUM

PARTNERS:

>>> BRITAIN

FORMULA 1 Round 9 BRITISH GP

Pos Driver
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
RT
RT
RT
RT
RT
RT
NS

COUNTRY Team TIME/LapS

LEWIS HAMILTON
NICO ROSBERG
SEBASTIAN VETTEL
FELIPE MASSA
VALTTERI BOTTAS
DANIIL KVYAT
NICO HULKENBERG
KIMI RAIKKONEN
SERGIO PEREZ
FERNANDO ALONSO
MARCUS ERICSSON
ROBERTO MERHI
WILL STEVENS
CARLOS SAINZ
DANIEL RICCIARDO
MAX VERSTAPPEN
PASTOR MALDONADO
ROMAIN GROSJEAN
JENSON BUTTON
FELIPE NASR

GBR
GER
GER
BRA
FIN
RUS
GER
FIN
MEX
ESP
SWE
ESP
GBR
ESP
AUS
NED
VEN
FRA
GBR
BRA

MERCEDES
1:31:27.729
MERCEDES
+10.956s
FERRARI
+25.443s
WILLIAMS
+36.839s
WILLIAMS
+1:03.194
RED BULL
+1:03.955
FORCE INDIA
+1:18.744
FERRARI
+1 lap
FORCE INDIA
+1 lap
MCLAREN
+1 lap
SAUBER
+1 lap
MANOR
+3 laps
MANOR
+3 laps
TORO ROSSO
DNF
RED BULL
DNF
TORO ROSSO
DNF
LOTUS
DNF
LOTUS
DNF
MCLAREN
DNF
SAUBER

PTS
25
18
15
12
10
8
6
4
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

ROBERTO MERHI AND WILL STEVENS GIVE

MARUSSIA THEIR TWO BEST RESULTS OF
THE YEAR IN 12TH AND 13TH
RICCIARDO RETIRED FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 2015
NEITHER TORO ROSSO FINISHED FOR THE
SECOND TIME IN 2015 (AFTER BAHRAIN)
BOTH LOTUSES WERE OUT ON THE FIRST
LAP FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON!
(AUSTRALIA WAS THE OTHER ONE)
MCLAREN HAVE LOST A CAR ON THE
OPENING LAP AT EACH OF THE LAST TWO
RACES

Points Drivers: Hamilton 194, Rosberg 177, Vettel 135, Bottas 77, Raikkonen 76, Massa
74, Ricciardo 36, Kvyat 27, Hulkenberg 24, Grosjean 17, Nasr 16, Perez 15, Maldonado 12,
Verstappen 10, Sainz 9, Ericsson 5, Button 4, Alonso 1
Constructors: Mercedes 371, Ferrari 211, Williams 151, Red Bull 63, Force India 39, Lotus
29, Sauber 21, Toro Rosso 19, McLaren 5

GPWEEK.com // 29

THE NUMBERS
2002

F1

1953

The last time a Williams started in the top three at the British
Grand Prix

20.4
0

Hamiltons race win came on the 62nd

anniversary of Mike Hawthorns win at Reims in
1953, the first ever success for a British driver in
a World Championship Grand Prix

17

Lewis Hamiltons eighth career hat-trick

moves him level with Alain Prost and
Sebastian Vettel. Only Fangio (9), Clark (11)
and Schumacher (22) have taken more

Lewis Hamilton is now tied with Damon Hill

for the second-longest streak of front row
starts ever. Only Ayrton Senna has ever
had a longer run (24, in 1988-89)

Km/h The McLarens

straightline speed
deficit in the qualifying
speed trap

Out of 4 If Lewis Hamilton wins

three out of the next four races he
will exactly tie Ayrton Sennas 41
wins in 161 career starts

Out of 16 Jenson Button has still never finished on

the podium in the British Grand Prix, the most-ever
starts by a driver in his home Grand Prix without
doing so

1.532
1.533
Seconds Fernando
Alonsos gap to the best
Q1 time in Britain, on a
much longer circuit

PARTNERS:

>>> BRITAIN

Seconds
Fernando Alonsos
gap to the best Q1
time in Austria

900

The 2015 British GP saw the 900th start for a Ferrari engine in the world
championship, but only the 898th for the constructor. The discrepancy comes
from Enzo Ferrari not entering his team for the 1960 US and 1966 British GPs,
while privateers entered Ferrari-powered Coopers each time

GPWEEK.com // 30

F1

TECHNICAL

>>> BRITAIN

TECHNICAL

SMALL CHANGES AS TEAMS START TO LOOK TO 2016

PAOLO
FILISETTI
Technical
Editor

Micro developments seem to be the

current trend in F1, with the exception
of Force India, which introduced the
nostril nose, tested at Spielberg after
the Austrian GP, at Silverstone. An
interesting feature without doubt,
but on the performance side it didnt
change the dynamics too much of the
car of the Silverstone-based squad.
The top teams, instead look to
have followed a path of a step-bystep development, mainly basing it on

PARTNERS:

refinements rather than on huge visible

changes.
The area around the front wheels
seems to be the one that grabs most
attention at the moment, in particular
featuring developments close to the
endplates in terms of the upper flaps, and
vertical fins placed beside them, so to
direct the airflow outwards.
This kind of evolution featured both on
the Ferrari and on the Red Bull. Even if
the two front wings maintain conceptual
differences, it looks as if a common path
has been taken, following the design
concept of the Mercedes front wing.
The management of the turbulence
generated by the front wheels seems
capable of providing that extra amount
of downforce, thanks to the array of
the revised upper flaps, that could be

absolutely fundamental on a track like

Silverstone, increasing their efficiency,
as no additional drag was generated
instead it was actually reduced.
Furthermore a deeply revised main flap
now features a sinuous trailing edge and
an extended surface including the lower
element towards the cars centerline.
Ferrari, proceeding in the detail
refinement of the front end of the SF
15-T have even managed to reduce e the
section of the onboard camera mountings
on the side of the nose cone. This change,
as for the front wing, makes this new
solution look very close to the Mercedes
one featured since the start of the season.
It is important to say that each of this
evolutions, taken individually, doesnt
provide a relevant step up in terms of
performance or rather efficiency but
instead, the sum of all these bits may

help not just in small improvements in

terms o f lap times, but also in terms of
fuel saving, as the drag reduction may
help in this area.
Another team that seems to be
following the Mercedes front ends aero
concept is Red Bull. Having tested their
latest version of their front wing featuring
a different layout of the main flaps and an
additional vertical fin placed beside the
upper flaps assembly, they introduced it
here.
As for the Ferrari, the modifications are
mainly concentrated in the area in front
of the wheels, to reduce the turbulence
generated, and at the same time, the
evolution of the main flap design means
an accurate gain of additional downforce
that, since the start of the season, was
one of the weak points of this car.
Of course, it is important to note that

each progress made has to be evaluated

in a wider scenario, that differs car to
car. By that, I mean that it is rather
difficult, judging from outside, just how
relevant such improvements can be, on
a wholly uncompetitive car as the RB11.
Certainly the Milton Keynes engineers
are producing many new parts, but
not primarily for a current engineering
exercise, rather to build up the basis of a
more competitive package for the next
season.
The aim of Ferrari engineers instead
is rather more focused on raising up as
much as possible the pace to catch the
dominant Mercedes cars this season,
while at the same time trying to maintain
Williams behind, as the Grove-based team
seems now to be enjoying an increased
level of competitiveness.

GPWEEK.com // 31

Seen at Silverstone

PARTNERS:

F1

>>> BRITAIN

GPWEEK.com // 32

PASSING SHOT

For the second time this season, both

Lotus drivers were eliminated on the
opening lap. This turn three tangle also
accounted for Jenson Button and left
Fernando Alonso needing a new nose.

Lightning starts from both Williams

drivers saw them catapulted to the
front of the race, Valtteri Bottas seizing
the moment at the restart to pass
eventual winner Lewis Hamilton.

PASSING SHOT

When the rain first began to fall, Kimi

Raikkonen was one of the few to switch
to intermediate tyres. His gamble
backfired as he struggled for grip and
dropped down the order.

PASSING SHOT

PASSING SHOT

A fast lap and a perfectly timed switch

to intermediate tyres saw Lewis
Hamilton come out on top at his home
grand prix, his second British GP win in
succession.

Next: Hungary! In 1992 the Hungarian

Grand Prix marked the end of the world
championship as a competition as Nigel
Mansell sewed up the title for Williams.

PARTING SHOT