F1 Talk: Hamilton vies for seventh British GP win at ‘super weird’ Silverstone

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is always a highlight on the Formula 1 calendar as Mercedes’ man Lewis Hamilton vies for his seventh British GP win in what he hopes will be his seventh F1 World Championship season.

But this year, there will be no crowd-surfing or track invasion as all spectators have been urged to stay away from Silverstone due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, Hamilton fever saw more than 140,000 fans on Grand Prix Sunday where the Briton claim his sixth win around Silverstone after jumping his team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the pits.

But if Hamilton is to claim a seventh win at Silverstone, he will have to do it without the fans cheering him every step of the way.

That being said, the odds are heavily stacked in Hamilton’s favour, having won the event six times in the past seven years and started on pole position in four of the last five years.

Heading into this weekend’s race, Hamilton leads the world championship by six points over team-mate Valtteri Bottas after victories in the Styrian and Hungarian GPs.

Ahead of this weekend’s race, the championship leader said: “It’s going to be super weird.”

“The British Grand Prix is the best grand prix, particularly because of the fans, the thousands that turn up and create the spectacle.

“It grows every year and I get to interact with the fans differently on that weekend. It’s such an honour and privilege to be able to perform well and win a grand prix in your home country.“The atmosphere [at races this season] is night and day different and it’s something I’m still coming to terms with.”

But having started the season in relatively good form, Bottas knows that despite recent confirmation that Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola will be added to the schedule, he needs to win at least one of the next two races to stop Hamilton racing to a seventh title.

Red Bull have a rather different dilemma at Silverstone than the one they hoped; the former champions find themselves 66 points behind the Silver Arrows after the first three races.

While Max Verstappen has claimed two podiums in the past two races, the Austrian outfit know that Racing Point have a very good chance for success in the next two Grand Prix and will be engaged in a brutal duel over second with previous midfield teams McLaren and Racing Point.

McLaren had a rather harsh reality check at Hungary as the Woking-based team scored just two points with Carlos Sainz Jr in a race which should have produced a lot more for them. But heading to Silverstone, they are in the best shape they have been at a British GP since 2012.

Racing Point head to Silverstone feeling quietly confident having taken the F1 world by storm after the opening three races which was capped by Lance Stroll’s fourth place at the last race in Hungary.

The team which are running a car that has repeatedly been compared to the design of last year’s Mercedes have every reason to think they could claim a podium finish this weekend.

But with Sergio Perez’s inaugural COVID-19 test being inconclusive, followed by a Positive, the Mexican has to self-isolate until further notice. This will be a blow on a crucial weekend for the team, especially with new 10-day rules meaning Perez will also be out for the 70th Anniversary race next week. His replacement will have to pick up the gauntlet quickly.

Ferrari have not had a worse start to a F1 campaign this century as the Italian outfit are languishing fifth in the constructors championship on 27 points after three Grand Prix.

That would not be so bad if the team had even podium-contending pace, but on a weekend that will be fully dry, the true lack of pace from Ferrari will be laid bare.

Renault have started the season with a mix of poor reliability and points courtesy of their two drivers and are sixth place with twelve points. They must surely be satisfied by the way they have started this year as they are definitely in the fight with Ferrari, McLaren, and even Racing Point and Red Bull.

Alpha Tauri have picked up seven points but are a team that are difficult to read and this weekend’s race should provide a clearer indication.

Alfa Romeo and Haas are both struggling with the reduced power in the Ferrari power unit and are the two teams who have the least pace in Formula 1. Alfa will be pleased to have two points to their name, and Haas with their point after their great strategy work in Budapest. But this is likely to be another painful weekend for them.

Williams Racing head home pointless but in a much better competitive position compared to the last two seasons. The Grove-based squad have much better pace in qualifying with George Russell making it out of Q1 in two of the first three races, but from the evidence of the triple-header, their race pace is still something to be desired.

In a fully-dry weekend at Silverstone, they will hope to make another step forward at the team’s home event.

So as the British GP fires up once more, it is a weekend of sporting fever without the crowds in the ‘new normal’. But in what is going to be the first of two races at Silverstone, will Hamilton further cement his grasp on the championship or can Bottas dampen Hamilton’s spirits at home?