Hamilton has won his fourth straight British GP, having dominated the race entirely. A last minute puncture forced Raikkonen to pit and give way to a very fast Bottas who crossed the line in second place to give Mercedes a 1-2 finish. Vettel and Verstappen were also forced to pit in the penultimate lap, with the Ferrari crossing the line in P7 while the Red Bull claimed P4.
Ricciardo had one of the most incredible race, having started from behind and finishing in fifth. Hamilton has now cut Vettel’s lead from 20 points to just 1 point in the championship standings. He now has five British GP career wins equaling Alain Prost and Jim Clark.
British GP 2017 Results
1. Hamilton – Mercedes
2. Bottas – Mercedes
3. Raikkonen – Ferrari
4. Verstappen – Red Bull
5. Ricciardo – Red Bull
6. Hulkenberg – Renault
7. Vettel – Ferrari
8. Ocon – Force India
9. Perez – Force India
10. Massa – Williams
The formation lap was aborted after Palmer’s Renault stopped on the track with braking and hydraulic problems. This was his home race and not the best way to retire.
OUT: Heartbreak for @JolyonPalmer 💔
Looks like hydraulic problems ahead of the start of the #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/iMEzeQci53
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 16, 2017
Hamilton led the field to another start, getting away smoothly but Sainz went off at Becketts after a tangle with Kvyat. The safety car came out to retrieve the Toro Rosso.The incident was placed under investigation. Meanwhile, the order behind the safety car was Hamilton, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Vettel, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Bottas, Perez, Vandoorne and Massa.
Soft tyre runners will aim to go longer than supersoft starters to gain track position. But it will all depend on degradation of supersoft.
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) July 16, 2017
The restart was smooth as well, Hamilton held the lead once more but Raikkonen edged closer and was now within 1s. Both Ricciardo and Bottas were making their way up the field with ease, Ricciardo started from the back after a penalty and retiring from qualifying, Bottas started from P9 after picking a 5 place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.
Kvyat received a drive through penalty for joining the track unsafely which caused the Sainz incident. By lap 10/51 Bottas had now passed Hulkenberg for fifth, Ricciardo was all over Alonso’s back in P14 and ready to make a move. The McLaren boys were having a good drive so far with Vandoorne in P9.
Lap 8: a good start for the boys after a slightly chaotic beginning to the #BritishGP. Stoff, P9 and Fernando, P13. pic.twitter.com/ZDOrpY5sdG
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 16, 2017
Ricciardo managed to pass Alonso on lap 12 for 13th place before taking P12 from Stroll in the following lap, the Red Bull was on a roll. Real drama was unfolding between Vettel and Verstappen, with the Ferrari making several attempts to pass the Red Bull and almost bumping into each other. Vettel showed his unhappiness by throwing his hands up. “Does he want to play bumper cars or something?” asked Verstappen.
Vettel made his first stop on lap 19 hoping to undercut Verstappen, the Ferrari man switched to softs. Verstappen pitten in the next lap, but it was a slow stop. He emerged behind the Ferrari in sixth.
LAP 19/51: RIC passes MAS to force himself into the points
He started from P19#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/m8KOc3DQXZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 16, 2017
Both Vettel and Verstappen managed to pass Hulkenberg for fourth and fifth respectively but the Ferrari man was flying, his pace was unmatchable by the Red Bull with a 4s gap between them by lap 24/51.
Raikkonen stopped on lap 25, and Hamilton followed suit in the next lap, the Brit retained the lead and emerged just ahead of Bottas who was yet to stop. Raikkonen emerged in P3 behind Bottas, technically he never lost a place as Bottas still needed to stop.
Bottas finally stopped on lap 32 and picked up some supersofts, he merged in fourth place ahead of Verstappen. Ricciardo also made his stop for some soft tires and emerged in P10. McLaren urged Alonso to up his pace but the Spaniard responded with a “No power” message.
And Ricciardo was on a new mission, first up was Perez whom he passed with ease, followed by Ocon. He had no problem either passing Magnussen for P7. “Who’s next?” he asked Red Bull, probably with a huge smile behind that helmet.
With ten laps left, the gap between Vettel and Bottas was only 1s. As they approached the Hangar Straight, the Finn used DRS to breeze past the Ferrari and take third. “Great job,” Mercedes said, and Bottas responded with a “Minimal talking”
LAP 44/51: BOT finally forces his way past and claims P3 from the world championship leader#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Otg1wMVY2V
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 16, 2017
Raikkonen began to slow down on lap 49 after his front left tire punctured, Bottas successfully moved into P2 as the Ferrari dived into the pits. Verstappen pitted too but he wasn’t happy, luckily for him Vettel also pitted. Verstappen moved to fourth behind Raikkonen.
Hamilton went ahead to win his fourth British GP ahead of Bottas and Raikkonen.
