Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 British Grand Prix Weekend Report

4 July 2015

2015 British Grand Prix Weekend Report

The Silverstone circuit in Great Britain hosted round nine of the 2015 Formula 1 season.
© Octane Photographic
It was the track's 51st appearance on the F1 calendar and the 66th British Grand Prix. The race followed an intriguing Austrian Grand Prix - won by Nico Rosberg - and test at the Red Bull Ring. 


Rosberg's victory in Austria meant he headed into the weekend just 10 points behind Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings, but the Englishman remained confident that he could bounce back on home soil.

Silverstone is one of the most popular layouts on the calendar, with its history, quick corners and incredible atmosphere. Known as the home of British motorsport, it hosted the first ever F1 race back in 1950.

FP1
Drivers, teams and fans were welcomed by stunning sunshine and clear skies for Friday morning's 90-minute practice session. It got off to a busy start, with Will Stevens and Felipe Nasr first out on track.
© Octane Photographic

Rosberg led the way early on but he was forced to stop his car with a loss of hydraulic pressure. Hamilton took over at the front of the field and remained there for most of the session, despite an early spin at Stowe.

Track conditions proved to be tricky and there were several off-track excursions. Mercedes quickly changed Rosberg's gearbox and he returned to the circuit in the final minutes, going fastest with a 1:34.274.

Hamilton fell to second, with Max Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen, Carlos Sainz Jr, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo next up. Daniil Kvyat, Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa completed the top 10. Susie Wolff, Jolyon Palmer and Raffaele Marciello competed in FP1 and were 13th, 14th and 15th respectively. 

FP2
Second practice got off to a quiet start, with only Marcus Ericsson heading out onto the circuit in the opening two minutes of the session. 
© Octane Photographic

It was an eventful session, with three separate incidents at Luffield for Romain Grosjean, Fernando Alonso and Roberto Merhi - the former was the only driver to get beached in the gravel, but he returned to the track later in FP2.

Hamilton led the way early on before Rosberg moved to the front with a 1:34.155 when drivers switched to the medium tyre compound. It proved to be an unbeatable time and he finished second practice at the top of the timesheets.

Raikkonen and Vettel were three and a half tenths further back, with Hamilton slipping to fourth. Kvyat and Ricciardo cemented Red Bull's improved pace in fifth and sixth, ahead of Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Sainz Jr and Massa.  

FP3
Despite overnight storms, third practice started in dry conditions, with Grosjean and Roberto Merhi first to take to the circuit. Alonso briefly went fastest early on before being displaced by Massa.
© Octane Photographic

On the hard tyre, Hamilton and Rosberg traded quickest lap times, with the two-time world champion topping the timesheets mid-way through the session by four tenths of a session. There were plenty of off-track excursions as drivers pushed to the limit.

Rosberg suffered a gearbox oil leak, meaning his running in the second part of FP3 was limited. Drivers switched to the medium tyre for the final part of the session and Rosberg did manage to take to the track with two minutes to go and went second fastest, five tenths behind Hamilton.

The Englishman set the pace with a 1:32.917, with Rosberg, Raikkonen, Vettel and Verstappen next up. Sainz Jr, Massa, Bottas, Kvyat and Maldonado rounded out the top 10. Button and Alonso were 16th and 18th for McLaren. 

Qualifying
Q1
The first segment of qualifying eliminated the slowest five drivers from the fight for pole position. The two Manor drivers were the first to emerge onto the Silverstone circuit.
© Octane Photographic

Merhi set the opening timed lap, but was quickly displaced by Hamilton. Rosberg then moved to the front by three tenths of a second on the hard tyre, with Bottas, Raikkonen and Vettel next up.

Stewards took a no tolerance attitude to exceeding track limits and a number of times were deleted during the session. Verstappen suffered a Turn 3 spin, while Grosjean only took to the circuit with five minutes remaining.

A late lap on the medium tyre promoted Raikkonen to first place, with Rosberg, Vettel, Hamilton and Bottas completing the top five. Perez, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Massa and Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10. Nasr, Alonso, Button, Stevens and Merhi were eliminated.

Q2
The 15-minute second session of qualifying saw the slowest five drivers miss out on a spot in the top 10 shoot-out. Bottas and Massa were the first to exit the pit lane and take to the track.
© Octane Photographic

Once again exceeding track limits proved to be a problem for some drivers. Bottas led the way early on before Rosberg hit the front with a 1:32.737, three tenths clear of his team-mate Hamilton.

Raikkonen fell back into the drop-zone with three minutes to go after his time was removed for going off at Copse. Bottas improved with his final lap to split the Mercedes drivers, with Rosberg ending the session fastest. Hamilton was third, ahead of Kvyat and Vettel.

Hulkenberg, Massa, Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Sainz Jr also made it through to the final qualifying segment. Perez went off at Turn 9 on his last lap and it was deleted, but he remained 11th. Grosjean, Verstappen, Maldonado and Ericsson were also eliminated.

Q3
12 minutes of running at Silverstone decided the top 10 on the grid for the British Grand Prix. The final segment of qualifying got off to a quiet start, with Ricciardo and Raikkonen first to take to the track.
© Octane Photographic

The Australian driver put in the opening lap time, setting a 1:33.943. He was quickly displaced by Bottas and Raikkonen, before Hamilton took provisional pole position. Rosberg had to settle for second, with Massa going fourth behind his Williams team-mate.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg failed to improve on their final laps, with the former scoring his 46th career pole position. Massa displaced his team-mate Bottas with his last run, ahead of Raikkonen and Vettel.

Kvyat, Sainz Jr and Hulkenberg were next up. Ricciardo will complete the top 10 on the grid, after his best lap set at the end of the session was deleted. It will be Hamilton starting from the front of the field for his home race, as he chases a third British Grand Prix win. Qualifying results can be found here.

The Race
Hamilton lined up on pole position for his home race, for the third time in his career. Rosberg was second and eager to bounce back. Who would take the win? 

The revs rose, the lights went out and at Silverstone, the British Grand Prix got underway. Off the line, Massa and Bottas had storming starts to move up to first and second, with Hamilton and Rosberg dropping back.
© Octane Photographic

However, Bottas left the door open at Turn 3 and Hamilton moved ahead of the Finn. Behind, Grosjean and Maldonado collided at the second corner, putting both drivers out of the race. Alonso tried to avoid them and spun into Button, causing his team-mate to retire.

The Safety Car was deployed, with Alonso pitting for a new nose. Vettel had slipped to eighth and Hulkenberg had moved up to fifth. On the restart, Hamilton tried to reclaim the lead but ran onto the run-off area through the final section of corners. 

Bottas took advantage and stormed into second place, as the two Mercedes drivers scrapped over third. Further back, Hulkenberg and Raikkonen battled for fifth, while Vettel lost a position to Perez at the exit of Copse. Bottas gradually closed in on his team-mate, as he attempted to move into the lead. 

Hamilton and Rosberg slowly joined the fight for first place. Bottas was instructed to not attack his team-mate, but after trying a move into Stowe, he was then told that it had to be a clean pass and when he was in front, he had to pull away. 

The top four soon dropped Hulkenberg, while Ricciardo and Sainz Jr were the first to complete scheduled stops on lap 12. Raikkonen pitted on the next tour, in a bid to move ahead of Hulkenberg and into fifth, and Vettel stopped on lap 14. Had Ferrari switched to a two-stop strategy? 
© Octane Photographic

Hamilton was told to "box" on lap 19, and was the first of the top four to pit, switching to the hard tyre. Williams reacted by pitting Massa on the next lap, with Rosberg also stopping. The two ran down the pit lane side-by-side, with Massa emerging ahead. However, both returned to the track behind Hamilton.

Bottas was the final front-runner to stop and he exited the pit lane just behind Massa. Rosberg attempted a move at Turn 3 but couldn't make it work. Meanwhile Hamilton raced off into the distance after the first round of stops. 

Sainz Jr became the seventh retirement from the race on lap 33, after stopping on the run-off area at the final corner with a problem. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed as his Toro Rosso was recovered, before the racing resumed on lap 35 - just as light rain started to fall.

Whether to pit or not was a tough call, as the second sector was slippery but the remainder of the track was fairly dry. Raikkonen, Alonso, Ericsson and the Manor drivers pitted for intermediates but the rest stayed out on dry tyres. Rosberg was stronger in the tricky conditions, passing Bottas at the exit of Copse and quickly dropping the Finn.

He then charged into second place after a brave move on Massa at Turn 3 and set about chasing down Hamilton for the lead. The British driver pitted for intermediates on lap 43, just as more rain arrived. It proved to be the right call, with Rosberg emerging from his stop well behind his team-mate.

Vettel stopped on the same lap as Hamilton and the decision saw the Ferrari racer move up to third, ahead of Massa and Bottas. At the back of the field, Stevens spun off at Luffield and lost his front wing, in the challenging conditions. 
© Octane Photographic

Hamilton extended his lead in the closing stages to take a euphoric victory on home soil, triumphing at Silverstone for the third time. Rosberg was 11 seconds fruther back in second, with Vettel third after an inspired decision to pit early for intermerdiates. 

Massa and Bottas were fourth and fifth, well behind the top three. Kvyat was sixth after a strong race, with Hulkenberg and Raikkonen seventh and eighth - the latter making a pit stop with five laps to go. Perez and Alonso completed the top 10, giving the Spaniard his first point of 2015.

Ericsson, Merhi and Stevens rounded out the finishers. Seven cars retired, including Sainz Jr, Ricciardo, Maldonado and Button. Full race results can be found here.

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