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Hello and welcome to ESPN's coverage of the British Grand Prix. ------ Richard says: "Outrageous to start under a safety car. Put wet tyres on and let the drivers deal with it." 12:58: Radio message to Hulkenberg which I'm sure will be repeated across the grid. His engineer saying the key will be whether they can go all the way on these wets before slicks are required, rather than moving inters and then slick tyres. --- 12:57: The Safety Car start means it's mandatory full wets for all the teams. --- 12:55: A Safety Car start plays into Hamilton's hands quite nicely - his getaways off the line haven't been brilliant this year. It saves Mercedes quite a substantial headache about that fight down to Turn 1. --- 12:53: So that ruins the chance of a hectic start in the wet. Looks like the rain has eased off but there's a lot of standing water on the circuit. I think this is something that needs to be addressed in future, we can't just keep starting races under a Safety Car when it's a bit damp and I'm sure the drivers would agree. --- 12:52: The race will be starting under the Safety Car, which seems to be the norm now with a bit a rain. ---
--- 12:48: So, just over ten minutes to go until the race. After poorly attended races in Baku and Austria it's great to see packed grandstands at this one. Can't imagine an F1 calendar without Silverstone nowadays... --- 12:46: And with that, the rain eases off and some blue sky emerges just as the British national anthem starts playing at the front of the grid. --- 12:44: It's really raining hard now. Unfortunately that might just mean a safety car start... --- 12:41: It's just starting spitting with rain. If this continues the teams might consider whether slicks are the correct tyres to start on... --- 12:38: A wet Silverstone race will bring back memories of Hamilton's first win here in 2008. He's gunning for a fourth this afternoon. Rosberg has won here before, in 2013, a race remembered as 'The One With All The Exploding Tyres'. --- 12:33: Soft tyres on Hamilton's car. I've seen one of the Manor's heading down the pit lane with wets on for his exploratory lap to the grid. --- 12:31: Grey clouds above the circuit, it's been raining this morning but at the moment it's not. That may all change -- this is British weather, after all. --- 12:30: The pit lane is open and cars are now allowed to make their way to the grid. The Red Arrows planes putting on a show for the packed grandstands." |
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Lap 1 |
"Ok, there's quite a bit of standing water around Turn 8, also on the Wellington Straight down to Turn 6," Vettel tells Ferrari. |
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Lap 2 |
"Big puddles of aquaplaning still," Hamilton reports. The race director will be keen to hear all this driver feedback as he decides when to restart the race properly.
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Lap 3 |
"The track's going to be inters pretty soon I would say," Hamilton says. Tim says: "I agree with Richard. The drivers are paid zillions to race these cars…let them race. The start is a key to every event and its now gone." Hamilton complaining the Safety Car is driving "so slow". He keeps pulling up alongside it. |
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Lap 4 |
Ericsson reporting is getting closer and closer to intermediate tyres. We're probably going to see a mad dash to the pit lane for new tyres. "We can go Charlie," Hamilton says. |
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Lap 5 |
Race control says Safety Car will be in this lap. Finally! I imagine a few drivers are going to head straight into the pits for new tyres. How many will think about staying out until it's ready for wets? |
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Lap 6 |
Hamilton bunches the field at the Hangar Straight before blasting away. Rosberg defends from Verstappen. The top four all stay out on the full wets but there's an almighty train of cars coming in for the intermediates, including Raikkonen. Chaos in the pit lane as Sainz nearly gets released into another car. Safety Car start creating a bit of danger at the restart -- ironic, that one. Verstappen all over the back of Rosberg. We've seen Rosberg struggle in these conditions before this season. |
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Lap 7 |
Ricciardo pits from fourth position. The top three stay out on the full wets. It still looks pretty wet out there... Ricciardo nearly gets released into the path of another car, Button having to ease off the throttle. Ricciardo just gets out in front of Raikkonen so now that earlier stop making sense for Red Bull.
"Yeah I'm out. Aquaplaning, first corner, no chance," Wehrlein says. |
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Lap 8 |
Hamilton pits from the lead under the VSC. Rosberg and Verstappen follow him into the pit lane, which makes sense while the race is neutralised. Looks like Hamilton has retained the lead, with Rosberg getting out ahead of Verstappen. Perez looking very handy in fourth position! He's jumped ahead of Ricciardo. Hamilton's stop was so quick Rosberg didn't have to wait behind his teammate. Good work from Mercedes. VSC ends and Hamilton scarpers down towards Copse. Replays show a delayed stop for Verstappen, but looks like it was for a few turns of front wing as well as letting Rosberg's car clear the exit of his box. |
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Lap 9 |
Hamilton leads Rosberg by four seconds. Hate to say it but two Safety Car periods (one actual, one virtual) have ruined the drama we could have had here. Hulkenberg has a big, big snap down the Wellington Straight but he saves the car. |
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Lap 10 |
Turn 1 is still incredibly wet. That's where Manor went off and it looks like everyone is struggling through there quite a lot. Hulkenberg dices with Bottas through Arena and it looks like he's got the move done but Bottas keeps his cool around the outside. Nice driving from the Williams driver. Fastest lap for Hamilton, a 1:52.310. "Something is wrong with this engine," Ericsson says. Sounds like he's coming back to the pits to retire the car. |
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Lap 11 |
Fastest lap from Verstappen in third, a 1:51.848. Bottas spins at Vale. Looks like he's lost a few positions but just gets himself back on the road ahead of Button in 14th. Rosberg has cut the gap to 3.4s. Ericsson sits in the Sauber pit box. Conditions still very treacherous out there. |
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Lap 12 |
"We need to make this set last until dry," Red Bull tells Ricciardo. Similar message from Mercedes to Rosberg. Looks like Massa is strugging for grip out there too, he has Hulkenberg all over the back of him in the battle for eighth. |
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Lap 13 |
Another fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:51.474, as he pulls a full second out on his teammate. Verstappen now reeling Rosberg in for second. Hulkenberg timidly approaches Massa's car but isn't close enough to make a move until they come out of Woodcote but the Force India has a big snap and he saves the car, but has to ease off. Could have been a big moment for the German driver as he came up the inside of Massa's car. |
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Lap 14 |
"Currently the same pace as Hamilton. Everyone else about a second slower," Verstappen is told. He's 1.5s behind Rosberg. Hamilton 4.4s further up the road. Can confirm Ericsson never emerged fromthe pit lane. Replays show Raikkonen running deep at Turn 2. "It's getting drier now. I don't think slicks yet -- but it's getting closer," reports Verstappen. "OK. Good info Max," is the reply. |
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Lap 15 |
Hulkenberg now has Alonso for company. A bit of a train forming behind Massa's wobbly Williams. "How's the track, Kev, talk to us," Renault says. "Still wet," is the reply. Alonso one of the drivers coming off the racing line to find some water for those inters, which Verstappen also does down the Wellington Straight to cool his tyres. |
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Lap 16 |
Vettel pits for slicks! Medium compound. Verstappen and Rosberg nearly make contact coming down the old start/finish straight! Rosberg holds firm but the Red Bull teenager is right behind the championship leader now. He gets it done at Becketts! Wonderful driving from the Dutch teenager! You barely ever see passes made there. |
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Lap 17 |
The fans loved that moment. Raikkonen pits for slick tyres. Massa does the same for Williams. |
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Lap 18 |
DRS has now been enabled. Hamilton pits for slicks, as does Rosberg, Perez and Ricciardo. Verstappen, intriguingly, stays out on the intermediates. His last lap was a 1:47.479, a "purple lap" time indicating a fastest lap of the race. Vettel has spun! He gets going again but that's going to cost him a few positions. Looks like he lost it at the still-wet Turn 1. He'd just set a fastest lap, a 1:46.324. |
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Lap 19 |
Verstappen pits from the lead of the race. He emerges comfortably in second place. Rosberg has a race on his hands here. Grosjean has pulled off the circuit. "We lost one so many positions, man," Alonso says, seemingly complaining about McLaren's strategy. Saying he asked for the tyres much earlier than he got them. Grosjean's car being removed under double yellow flags. Replays show Sainz doing a great save throguh the final corner as the rear end of his Toro Rosso steps out in a big way. |
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Lap 20 |
Fastest lap from Hamilton, which is immediately beaten by Rosberg's 1:42.559. Palmer gets a 10-second stop-go penalty for an unsafe release in all that Safety Car restart madness earlier. Alonso putting two wheels on the turf as he tries to pass Massa down the Wellington Straight. Alonso looks fired up! |
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Lap 21 |
Fastest lap from Verstappen, a 1:40.747. Hamilton's lap, by contrast, a 1:42.124. Verstappen absolutely flying. Alonso having a look down the inside of Massa at Brooklands but opts against a late braking attempt. Ricciardo passes Perez at Stowe. |
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Lap 22 |
Hamilton responds with his own fastest lap, a 1:39.092. Verstappen almost matching the race leader's time, though... Replays show Verstappen running off the circuit at Turn 2, costing him quite a chunk of time, 2.4s lost. "Let's just keep an open mind, people might be going to the end on these tyres," Mercedes tells Hamilton. Couldn't quite make out the message back, but sounds like Hamilton says he does want to go to the end on these tyres. Could easily have been "don't", though!! |
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Lap 23 |
If Hamilton wants to go to the end on this set, it would be 35 laps on the medium compound. The rain means they no longer need to use the mandatory tyres set aside by Pirelli, remember. "Blue flags for Kvyat," Renault tells Palmer. "Oh this is a joke!" Palmer, a lap down, replies. |
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Lap 24 |
Rosberg sets a fastest lap, a 1:38.041. Palmer a lap down because he served his ten-second stop-go penalty. Alonso has spun off the circuit! He's gone off the road at Turn 2 but manages to keep his car going, driving through the gravel and back onto the track. He now has to defend from Bottas who passes him through Arena but then runs wide himself! Alonso retains 13th and then Nasr and Bottas nearly come to blows when the Williams driver comes back onto the circuit. Rosberg closing the gap on Verstappen in these last few laps, he took nine tenths off the Red Bull driver on the last lap. |
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Lap 25 |
Another fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:37.826, as he takes another tenth out of the gap to Verstappen. Sainz spins out and nearly gets collected by Raikkonen! Turn 1 really catching a lot of the drivers out, there's still a lot of standing water out. Replays of Alonso's moment shows him just touching a bit of damp and spinning around three times. Kept it out of the wall.... just. Nasr has passed Bottas for 14th. |
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Lap 26 |
"I don't know if the car is OK.... but what a shame!" Alonso says. Another fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:37.317. Haryanto has spun off the circuit at Turn 1. Looks like he's slid off the road sideways and into the wall. Replays of that moment look very similar to Alonso and Sainz's moments there. Lost the car in a big way as he came through Turn 1. |
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Lap 27 |
Vettel, remarkably, still running out of the points in 11th. Hamilton has run off the road at Turn 1! He's back on the circuit but how much time has he lost to Verstappen? Quite a lot, it seems. |
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Lap 28 |
Replays show Hamilton saving a spin as he comes through Turn 1 and just uses the exit road, as Raikkonen did earlier. Nervy moment for the race leader and proof of how treacherous it is down there at the first corner. Looks like Verstappen did the same thing right behind! So that's why Rosberg is now even closer behind. "Track is clear at Turn 1 but still slippery," Force India warns Perez. |
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Lap 29 |
Rosberg now has Verstappen right in front of him. He might be in DRS range come the next lap. Vettel moves alongside Kvyat down Hangar, who gets defensive through Stowe and tries to keep the position on the inside but eventually bails out. Vettel takes tenth. Good clean driving from both men. |
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Lap 30 |
If it stays like this, Hamilton will be just one point behind Rosberg in the standings. Rosberg gaining on Verstappen, though, taking another tenth off the Red Bull driver on the last lap. Verstappen gets twichy through Vale and nearly loses the car as he laps Gutierrez. Rosberg within half a second of the Red Bull man. |
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Lap 31 |
Fastest lap from fourth place Ricciardo, a 1:37.157. "Come on then, the blue flags are ridiculous," Verstappen complains. Rosberg unable to get close enough to pass under DRS. Hamilton's lead now 6.2s. |
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Lap 32 |
Fastest lap from the race leader, a 1:36.891. Rosberg still not able to get close enough with the DRS flap open at Wellington. He gets another stab down the Hangar Straight but Verstappen defends aggressively at Stowe. This one could get tasty. |
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Lap 33 |
Replays show Perez spinning off at Turn 1 but he keeps it out of the gravel and keeps going. He's still going very well in P5, though he's got Raikkonen for company now. Rosberg much closer to Verstappen this time around.... Rosberg opens DRS again and looks down the inside but again Verstappen slams the door shut just before they turn in for Stowe. |
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Lap 34 |
With his closest rivals squabbling over position behind, Hamilton sets a fastest lap - a 1:36.659. Things looking very good for the reigning world champion. Rosberg still well within DRS range of Verstappen and looks even closer to the Dutch teenager this time around. He opens the DRS again but thinks about putting it around the outside, Verstappen plants the car in the middle of the road and keeps the position. |
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Lap 35 |
"That's moving twice, that's not on!" Rosberg complains about Verstappen's defensive driving. Need to see another replay of it. Rosberg goes around the outside at Stowe but Verstappen holds firm and keeps the position again! So frustrating for the championship leader. This is some drive from Verstappen. |
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Lap 36 |
Verstappen and Rosberg dice again at Stowe and again Verstappen holds firm again. "I'm struggling quite a bit with the rear," Verstappen complains. He took those tyres on lap 18. Decision time for Red Bull. It's a gamble to pit at this stage but it is a slow pit stop at Silverstone... though I think he'd come out behind Ricciardo. Personally, I'd keep him out. |
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Lap 37 |
Another fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:36.611. No passing attempt from Rosberg this time around. Has he been told Verstappen is struggling? He can't keep attempting the same move if he wants to get his tyres to the end of the race. Replays show Vettel running off the road at Turn 2 to pass Massa for ninth. "Pushed me out of the track!" Massa complains. Similar to Rosberg/Hamilton in Austria, Vettel's car simply didn't turn in for the corner as he slid through it. |
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Lap 38 |
Rosberg finally gets the move done on Verstappen, moving up to second position. He's eight seconds behind Hamilton. Vettel under investigation for forcing Massa off ther road a few laps ago. Verstappen's car stepping around all over the place so might be time for a new set of tyres. |
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Lap 39 |
Massa pits from 10th position. New set of softs go on. There will be some interested observers along the pit lane now, let's see how his times are on those. Fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:36.356. |
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Lap 40 |
The red Ferrari of Raikkonen continues to close on Perez. The gap now 3.2s. Another fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:36.308. |
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Lap 41 |
Five-second penalty for Vettel following that earlier moment with Massa. He'll serve that at the end of the race if he doesn't pit. If he does, he'll stand stationary in the box for five seconds. Another fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:35.989. He's flying now he's shaken Verstappen. Alonso with a nice move on Bottas for 13th place through the final corner. Alonso has also switched to soft tyres. |
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Lap 42 |
Hamilton asking about blue flags for Massa. "He has had them, he's had them twice." Replays show Alonso passing Bottas on the outside of Vale and then making it stick down the inside of Club. |
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Lap 43 |
Palmer has retired in the Renault garage. He does not look happy, can't make out the whole sentence but the British driver says: "That's ridiculous". Hamilton's lead still 6.7s despite Rosberg's recent quick laps. Ferrari will have some big, big questions to ask again after this weekend. Red Bull running third and fourth. Raikkonen should get by Perez for fifth by the end of the race but it's another "What might have been" race for the Italian team. |
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Lap 44 |
Race leader Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:35.833. Raikkonen practically riding on the back of Perez as the two men start another lap. Perez struggling on those tyres. |
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Lap 45 |
Fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:35.548. Raikkonen momentarily thinks about a move at Copse but wisley opts against it. The track is still wet off the racing line down there. Rosberg 5.8 seconds behind Hamilton. A late charge from the championship leader? |
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Lap 46 |
Raikkonen has a look down the inside of Perez as the two men approach Stowe corner, but not close enough for a pass. |
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Lap 47 |
Problems for Rosberg? He's lost three seconds on that last lap. "Gearbox problems," he reports. Mercedes gives him instructions to fix it, suggesting there's an imminent failure. Verstappen now suddenly within two seconds of Rosberg's Mercedes. "Avoid seventh gear, Nico!" "Well what does that mean, I have to shift through it?" Five laps to go and suddenly Rosberg making the flag looks very unlikely. |
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Lap 48 |
Seems Rosberg and Mercedes have got the gearbox problem under control. If you're going to ask about the radio rules, don't, because I don't know how he's allowed to get those messages from Mercedes. Remember two races ago, Hamilton got nothing back from Mercedes about his engine mode problems. |
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Lap 49 |
Hamilton leads by over 11 seconds now. Three laps away from another win on home soil. Red Bull tells Verstappen that Rosberg is under investigation for radio comments made over the radio. |
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Lap 50 |
The "avoid seventh gear" message is surely the one which will catch Mercedes out. Radio messages not allowed unless for safety grounds or to avoid an imminent failure. |
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Lap 51 |
Penultimate lap. Some interesting stuff to follow if Rosberg is being investigated... Race control confirms Rosberg will be investigated after the race for those radio messages. |
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Lap 52 |
Hamilton has started the final lap of this race. It's all been rather quiet for the world champion out there. Big standing ovation for Hamilton as he comes through the final corners. Lewis Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix Rosberg comes home in second, Verstappen on the podium again with another great drive to third. Ricciardo fourth. Raikkonen fifth, Perez sixth. Pretty frosty between the two Mercedes drivers before going onto the podium. Before that, Hamilton ran out of parc ferme onto the grass to celebrate in front of the grandstand. Haven't seen that before. |
No formation lap with a Safety Car start. Hamilton leads the pack away and the sun is out, but the track is still kicking up a lot of spray.
Wehrlein has gone off the circuit, he's beached in the gravel. Virtual Safety Car deployed.
