The third Components 1 spherical in consecutive weekends sees drivers head to the super-fast Silverstone circuit with its enthusiastic crowd for the British Grand Prix.
Some of the standard occasions of the season with groups and drivers alike with one of many highest multi-day attendances of any spherical on the calendar, followers will likely be particularly excited for what’s more likely to be probably the most open and aggressive British Grand Prix for a while – particularly so far as the native contingent is anxious.
However F1 heads there amid the fall-out from a controversial collision in Austria which has injected drama into the championship struggle. How will the 2 drivers on the centre of the row after they meet on-track once more this weekend?
Listed below are the speaking factors for the British Grand Prix.
No extra Mr Good Norris?
Heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen had shared the highest two ending positions in all however one of many earlier six races. It will have occurred once more had it not been for his or her now infamous lap 64 collision.
Only one week later, not a lot time has handed for tempers to chill over a conflict which was simply the largest second of the season thus far. Perhaps not when it comes to the championship battle – as Verstappen’s lead grew even bigger – however due to how the connection and mutual belief and respect between two drivers whose relationship was beforehand heat by F1 requirements could change because of their ill-tempered battle.
However even earlier than that collision, Norris was taught a lesson by the world champion within the dash race when Verstappen re-passed the McLaren driver into flip 4 when Norris claimed the lead at flip three. Norris is now preventing a a number of champion for race victories and should be taught that utilizing the identical method when preventing for minor factors locations is not going to lower it anymore. The gloves are off.
Three potential British winners
The British Grand Prix is one in every of solely two occasions to have been part of the Components 1 calendar each season since its inception in 1950, alongside the Italian Grand Prix. This weekend would be the seventy fifth version of the occasion, and never many previous editions can declare to have had as many as three practical home-grown contenders for victory.
There have been 12 British winners out of the 41 drivers who’ve claimed victory at this occasion over the a long time – with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton probably the most profitable of all time with a report eight wins. Hamilton would love nothing greater than to interrupt his drought by successful right here for the ultimate time as a Mercedes driver earlier than he returns within the scarlet of Ferrari subsequent season.
To try this, Hamilton must first beat his workforce mate George Russell who took victory final weekend, and Norris within the McLaren. Neither race winner has taken victory at Silverstone earlier than, whereas Norris is the one of the pair to take a podium right here, which he achieved final 12 months.
Though Verstappen will seemingly stay the motive force to beat, the previous few months have proven that he’s weak – each in qualifying and through races. With refined shifts within the aggressive order on the entrance of the sphere each race weekend and the chance of additional incidents between Norris and Verstappen, it’s improper to depend anybody out of a possible victory from the highest 4 groups.
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Piastri’s progress
Final 12 months, the British Grand Prix was when Oscar Piastri introduced himself to the world as a Components 1 driver. In his first race with McLaren’s main upgrades bundle Piastri certified third and managed to problem Verstappen on the opening lap earlier than properly backing out. If it was not for an ill-timed Security Automobile, Piastri in all probability ought to have had his first grand prix podium from the race.
This 12 months, Piastri has extra expertise, velocity and motivation – particularly after shedding a top-three begin final weekend with a marginal observe limits determination that might have prevented him from getting concerned within the struggle for the victory. Piastri has completed as runner-up twice within the final 4 rounds, Monaco and Austria, and will likely be wanting to benefit from his McLaren’s glorious uncooked velocity to hunt out a primary race win.
“We perhaps had some small query marks about whether or not we might be as aggressive once we went again to, say, a extra conventional circuit like Barcelona or Pink Bull Ring, the place there’s some extra high-speed corners in comparison with Canada and Monaco,” Piastri mentioned after Sunday’s race. “However we’ve had a very constant automotive wherever we’ve gone. So I believe we might be fairly assured we’ll be within the struggle.”
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Aston Martin anguish
Final weekend gave but extra proof – if proof was wanted – that Aston Martin are merely struggling for velocity in comparison with their rivals. Regardless of each Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ending the race, neither did so within the high 10. The workforce have now failed to attain factors in consecutive rounds for the primary time since Alonso joined them in 2023.
Regardless of being by far the workforce’s finest driver over his first 30 rounds in British Racing Inexperienced, Alonso has not appeared his regular sharp self at a few of the current rounds. At Imola, Stroll was clearly the higher performer of the pair and final weekend in Austria, the identical was additionally true. As a driver who prides himself on being some of the full drivers within the area, it’s not usually that the double world champion seems to undergo a real stoop in type.
This weekend is, fairly actually, a house race for Aston Martin as their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is actually metres away from the Silverstone circuit. Everybody within the workforce will likely be hoping that they’ll take some factors from their house race. However the workforce calls for rather more than this, as the current announcement of Andy Cowell’s signing underlines.
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Britain’s subsequent F1 driver?
Alongside Components 1, the celebrities of the long run in F2 and F3 will likely be on show as soon as once more this weekend at Silverstone. British drivers loved a powerful exhibiting on the Pink Bull Ring final weekend, with Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman successful the F2 dash race, whereas Williams junior Luke Browning gained the F3 characteristic race from pole place.
With Bearman scheduled to creating one in every of his free follow participations with Haas this weekend, this could be the proper alternative for the 19-year-old to be introduced as one of many workforce’s drivers for 2024…
Williams junior Franco Colapinto can even take part in Friday’s opening follow session, moving into Logan Sargeant’s FW46 for the primary hour of operating, and Jack Doohan will return for Alpine.
Lights, digicam, motion
The grid for final 12 months’s British Grand Prix was distinctive in that two further automobiles joined on the rear. Though neither of those have been contributors.
As a substitute, they have been prop automobiles for an upcoming Apple-funded F1 film produced by Hamilton’s media firm, starring Brad Pitt, which is because of be launched in 2025. The ‘Apex GP workforce’ will return to Silverstone this 12 months, with extra filming anticipated to happen throughout the weekend.
Whether or not or not the script will likely be rewritten to characteristic new twists and turns impressed by a few of the dramatic developments of the primary half of the 2024 season stays to be seen…
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