Picture Credit: Formula 1
As F1 stops by at Silverstone, a venue perhaps rightly described by many as the sport’s spiritual home, one that hosted the first-ever Formula One Grand Prix way back in 1950, a lot is at stake for the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes and a lot can still stun teams and fans alike.
Carlos Sainz’s belter of a lap that earned him his maiden pole, Max Verstappen, though sandwiched by the two Ferrari’s, beginning from second on the grid and the legend Lewis Hamilton in a top-five start in the race are all special ingredients that could well make the upcoming Silverstone saga a mouthwatering sight.
But having said that, SportsTiger brings you the possible outcomes of the British GP in the form of top race predictions:
Carlos Sainz will come under exceeding pressure to win the race
Many would simply have forgotten by now that the 2022 British Grand Prix pole-sitter, Carlos Sainz lined up in ninth for last year’s race.
That the Ferrari man has taken a sensational pole, a first for him, and that too amid inclement weather, is a mark of Sainz’s keen desire to improve.
While taking pole is one thing, converting it into a race win is something entirely different. And that is why, one reckons that come race day, Sainz, who did find himself in a somewhat similar situation to win at Russia in 2020, when he passed Norris early on (from second) only to lose the advantage later, will likely face a similar scenario at Silverstone.
The Ferrari fans- and rightly so- will want nothing but a win at Lewis Hamilton-territory, their great tormentor in the past seasons.
Add to this the enormity of pressure that Sainz will face in having to keep Verstappen at bay, the Dutchman beginning from second on the grid.
It may seem a pretty straightforward task for the Madrid-born driver, but will it actually turn out to be so?
Lewis Hamilton will finish on the podium
Lewis Hamilton is a truly great driver but at home in Silverstone, he turns simply magnificent and where recent form is an example, then quite unbeatable.
No other driver has registered as many wins here other than Lewis, who’s clinched victory at Silverstone on eight separate occasions.
And while a ninth may seem difficult, given the existing conditions and the fact that in the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull, Mercedes find staunch contestants, a podium finish, one notes, may not be entirely out of Hamilton’s reach.
Perhaps spurred by the desperate need to up his form or by the realisation that he’s going to battle amid home fans again, Hamilton, it is expected, will dominate the proceedings at the British GP and will likely outperform the driver in the other Mercedes, one also contesting his home race event: George Russell.
Max Verstappen will outrace Charles Leclerc
The 2021 British Grand Prix was an utterly forgettable race for the famous Dutch Driver of Red Bull. His car would be clipped by the great seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, who’d eventually go on to win his home race whilst his biggest challenger, one rightly described as the pretender to the throne, would end up ruing a lost chance in the hospital following a high-speed impact in the opening lap.
Verstappen may never have forgotten that day and the incident, which is why, the current leader of the Driver’s Championship, who’s successfully bisected the two Ferraris, will want to tread cautiously this time around. Not that the previous year’s incident resulted in a one sided blame with the Dutchman in the wrong.
But even then, Max would realise the great chance of staking a claim in the win at Lewis Hamilton land; the domain of his arch-rival. And the ideal and most direct way to do that would be overtaking the car lined up ahead, that of his previous Toro Rosso teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr.
Verstappen will realise the fact that an early aggressive overtake in the opening few minutes will be a great opportunity to mount a great challenge to Ferrari. And truly speaking, they’re a team that he and his Red Bull contingent would quite like to play the chasers akin to how it panned out at the previous race, i.e., the Canadian GP.
So Sainz will not ideally have an easy Sunday up ahead for he’s got a bull breathing on his Ferrari’s tail.
Alonso will lead the battle in the midfield
Fernando Alonso, who began his Montreal-bound Canadian race from second on the grid was called an “old man” by Max Verstappen, albeit jokingly.
But Alonso replied back stating boldly and confidently that he’d pass the Red Bull driver inside the first lap. Though such a thing never happened for real as an abnormally longer first stint by Alpine kept their experienced driver out for long and this hurt his tyres and in turn, the strategy, Alonso still finished in points.
He had entered that contest at the back of two straight P7’s earned at Monaco and Baku, respectively. This clearly means the Spaniard has been contesting with fine form.
It’s precisely that factor that could come in handy for Alonso at Silverstone on Sunday, where the most experienced driver on the current grid begins from seventh on the grid.
It’s a much better place from which to contest the usually action-packed and fast-paced British Grand Prix than Gasly’s eleventh, Bottas’ twelfth and, Ricciardo’s fourteenth; each of them being close battlers of Fernando Alonso’s Alpine.
One supposes that in the forthcoming British Grand Prix, Alonso, counting on recent form and all that experience, will retain his position from the start and manage to outrace his competitors from Alpha Tauri and Alfa Romeo.