British Grand Prix 2021
Reigning F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton got back to winning ways as he won his home British Grand Prix for a record-extending eighth time in his career.
Early on, though, it did not look like the capacity crowd at Silverstone would be celebrating another Hamilton win after he was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident which saw title rival and pole-sitter Max Verstappen crash out in the very first lap of the race.
But Hamilton, the overwhelming favourite to win according to the British Grand Prix 2021 betting odds, delivered once again with an outstanding comeback to claim the crucial win that has cut Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings.
Highlights of the game
There was much excitement heading into the British Grand Prix as a staggering 140,000 fans — the largest sports crowd post-pandemic — would be allowed at Silverstone to cheer on local hero Hamilton.
Although, Verstappen spoiled the party a tad the day before by winning the inaugural F1 Sprint that secured him pole position, while Hamilton – who had been outshone by Verstappen in the last few races – had to settle for second.
But there was more drama to come between the two title contenders at the start of the race itself. As Hamilton was trying to overtake in the opening moments of the race, his car made contact with Verstappen’s, which resulted in the Red Bull crashing out in the very first lap!
The safety car came out immediately, and after a lengthy delay, the race restarted with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc — who started out in fourth — leading the race from the two Mercedes drivers, Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
But a few laps later, the massive British Grand Prix 2021 news came down that Hamilton had to serve out a 10-second penalty for his part in Verstappen’s crash, which put a sizable dent in his plans.
With a penalty looming, Hamilton tried to close the gap as much as possible on Leclerc. And he was lent a helping hand by Leclerc suffering some engine power issues which saw him drop his pace enough for Hamilton to claw his way back.
Hamilton finally came into the pits to make his stop — and take his 10-second penalty — on lap 27. He came out in fifth behind Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Bottas, and Lando Norris, one of this season’s breakout stars.
Leclerc went in a few laps later and had a brilliant stop to come out still in the lead, well ahead of Bottas. However, Hamilton was now putting the hammer down. He overtook Norris for third and quickly reduced the gap on his teammate Bottas in second.
Hamilton finally beat out Bottas on lap 41, which set up a grandstand finish as he had just 11 laps to make up an eight-second gap on Leclerc.
But the reigning world champion had almost halved that advantage after just a few laps, and it was down to less than a second with just three laps left.
It seemed like just a matter of time before Hamilton would blow by Leclerc, and he did just that on lap 50 to take the lead for the first time in the race.
It was all over at that point, as Hamilton cruised to the chequered flag to claim one of his most impressive victories in some time.
Key statistics
Hamilton’s dominance in his home race continues. He now has eight career British Grand Prix wins, which ties the F1 record for most wins in a single race. Hamilton, who also has eight wins in the Hungarian GP, shares that record with Michael Schumacher, who has eight French GP victories.
Hamilton also finished on the podium at Silverstone for the ninth straight race, which is a new record for a single track.
Meanwhile, Leclerc went second to finish on the podium for the first time since the last British GP in August last year. It’s the fourth straight time Leclerc has cracked the top four at Silverstone.
With his win and Verstappen’s first-lap retirement, Hamilton is now just eight points back of the Red Bull in the drivers’ championship standings.
What’s next?
The F1 season will resume in a fortnight’s time in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Aug. 1. Given his historic dominance at the Hungaroring, SBOTOP odds will surely have Hamilton as the favourite to pick up a record-breaking ninth win at the course.
However, Verstappen has been quite competitive in Hungary, finishing second behind Hamilton in each of the last two years, and he will be eager to get back at the Brit after their unfortunate situation at Silverstone.
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