Race 2018 F1 British Grand Prix Full Race Replay
Race 2018 F1 British Grand Prix Full Race Replay
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Race Info
Date 8 July 2018
Official name Formula 1 2018 Rolex British Grand Prix
Location Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone, United Kingdom
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.891 km (3.660 miles)
Distance 52 laps, 306.198 km (190.263 miles)
Formula One British Grand Prix 2018 What to Watch
This weekend, Silverstone hosts the British Grand Prix, the tenth round of the 2018 Formula 1 season.
Although Lewis Hamilton has won at this circuit four times in a row, he lost the lead in the drivers' standings the last time around.
After Mercedes's double retirement in Austria, Ferrari is leading the constructors race, while Sebastian Vettel is leading the championship.
In 2017, Hamilton equaled the record for the most victories at the British Grand Prix held by Jim Clark and Alain Prost by winning the race from start to finish for the fifth time in his career.
Due to Jolyon Palmer's hydraulic breakdown during the formation lap, which necessitated a second formation lap, the race was shortened from its original planned distance.
Both Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas emerged from the field during the race after receiving grid penalties. The Red Bull started the day on the back row after acquiring new engine components, but Ricciardo surged through to win fifth. The Finn, who had started ninth due to a gearbox penalty, employed a different tire strategy to move back to second.
Due to punctures, both Ferrari drivers lost positions in the last moments of the race. Vettel's puncture relegated him to seventh place, while Kimi Raikkonen, who was in second place when his Pirelli rubber failed, managed to hold onto the last podium position since he was close to the pit entrance.
This year, Silverstone will add another drag reduction system zone to its lineup, bringing the total to three. The pit straight now features a third DRS zone in addition to the ones on the Wellington and Hangar Straights.
Drivers can open their rear wings into Abbey and Farm corners at the beginning of the lap thanks to the additional DRS zone, but if they don't want to try the turns with their rear wing closed, they can choose to turn off the system before going in. Drivers can now choose to use DRS when cornering for the first time.
Since last year, the track has been resurfaced in an effort to make it more uniform and less bumpy. This was done by replacing the various surface types that had previously been used around the track. Additionally, the new surface is made to increase traction in damp circumstances.
Along with the mediums and softs, Pirelli's hard compound will be used for the first time this season in the British Grand Prix. In light of the new track surface and Ferrari's 2017 problems, the compounds are a step harder than those utilized in the race the previous year.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who won his first race of the season the previous time around, has the most cautious tire choices. He has two sets of hards and less softs than any other driver on the grid, although other drivers have only chosen one pair of the ice blue striped tires. All other drivers will use eight or nine sets of soft tires for the weekend, while Toro Rosso and Renault have chosen to use ten sets.
There was considerable variance at Silverstone last year, but most drivers stuck to a one-stop strategy.
Bottas started on the softs and pitted later than most of the leaders, which put him on the faster tyre in the last laps of the race and allowed him to catch up seven places from the grid. In contrast, most of the top 10 started on the supersoft tyre. Late in the race, Ricciardo was left on new tires after starting at the rear and making his supersofts survive longer than any other driver. A few drivers, including the Ferraris after their punctures, required two stops.
With no rain predicted between Friday and Sunday, it doesn't appear like the new track surface—which is intended to provide more traction in the rain—will be required this weekend.
With temperatures predicted to reach about 26°C in equally bright circumstances for qualifying, Friday's sessions should go in dry and sunny weather.
Race day temperatures should be about the same, though there is a chance of cloud cover near the finish of the race. Wind isn't expected to be an issue over the weekend.
Hamilton has won the last four Silverstone races, and Mercedes has won the last five. Given that the course is power-dependent, if the team can avoid repeating the mistakes it made in Austria, it should favor the Mercedes car once more. Hamilton would become the most successful driver in British Grand Prix history with another victory.
Five winners have begun the race from the starting position in the past ten years. Pole position isn't necessary for winning, but it's important to qualify well because most winners who didn't start in the front two rows did so. In 2014, Hamilton did, however, win from sixth place on the grid.
With 15 victories overall, Ferrari is the most successful team at the race; however, they have had a difficult time at Silverstone in recent years, winning only two of the last 13 races. Even Michael Schumacher, who won three of his ten starts for the Italian team during his golden era, found it difficult to defeat the McLarens.
Although both Ricciardo and Bottas are among the drivers you would anticipate seeing near the front this weekend, neither of them qualified well at Silverstone. They have only ever started the race outside of the top three, though they both overcame starting out of position last year due to grid penalties.
Speaking of grid penalties, certain drivers may experience them this weekend. Since Ricciardo has already used up his whole year's allotment for all six power unit components, he is one driver to watch. Given that he demonstrated his ability to make up ground at Silverstone 2017, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Australian take a penalty at this race after retiring in Austria.
Sergey Sirotkin of Williams hasn't had a stellar rookie season thus far and is still the only driver without a point after Romain Grosjean's fourth place finish in Austria last week. However, as the Russian won one of his three GP2 races at Silverstone in 2015, this would be a favorable track for him to eventually open his account.
Check out our predictions for the podium on Sunday and listen to our preview on this week's podcast to find out what the team feels about this race. Join us for our live blogs during qualifying and the race, and share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Twitter.