What did we learn from Silverstone?

Well, we learned that F1 can produce excitement and some unexpected results. Firstly, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) did win convincingly and finished the race without one of his curly hairs ruffled. His head was big enough before … but it was a flawless drive, and with what went on behind him he is now only one point shy of Vettel (Ferrari).

Hamilton made a good start and the two Ferrari’s followed (Raikkonen and Vettel) to be then set upon by Verstappen (Red Bully?) with his aggressive first lap tactics. Raikkonen escaped but Vettel found himself at the receiving end of youthful aggression, eventually ceding the place, but getting back in front after the pit stops with Ferrari being slicker than Red Bull.

Meanwhile, Bottas (Mercedes) was coming through from his penalty grid position number 9 and getting involved in the race long (actually season long) battle between the FIndia drivers Ocon and Perez.

However, there was an even more spirited charge through the field by Ricciardo (Red Bull) from position 20, ending up fifth and getting the Driver of the Day award.

Around three laps from the end, Hamilton was never going to be caught and Raikkonen was also secure in second, then suddenly the left front tyre delaminated and the Iceman was limping into the pit. This brought Vettel into second, which was what Ferrari wanted.

However, more drama ensued as Vettel then had his front left tyre delaminating and his resultant pit stop dropped him down to seventh, returning second place to Raikkonen. But while all this drama was going on, Bottas had kept his foot down and won second place, while Raikkonen then found himself in third, positions they would stay in for the final lap.

What about Alonso? Just for a change the Honda-McLaren engine failed again by half distance.

One driver who needed a good result as his race seat is disappearing was Jolyon Palmer (Renault) whose car ran out of hydraulics on the way to the grid. You can start unpicking the Renault badges, Jo.

Another driver blotting his copy book was Daniil (the Torpedo) Kvyat (Toro Rosso) who managed to take out Sainz, his team mate on the first lap. Daniil can unpick his Toro Rosso badges as well.

F1 race cars are supposedly the epitome of automotive engineering, but there are some glaring anomalies. For example, to ensure all cars have the same ride height, the F1 method is to nail a plank of wood to the underside of the race cars, and then measure how much wore off. An opening for a carpenter?

Grid penalties galore again. Change any faulty part and get at least a five place demotion. Change a few defective bits and you could end up like Alonso (McLaren) getting 30 grid spot penalty, on a grid which holds 20 cars. Can someone tell me why the driver gets penalized when the manufacturer of the car incorporates a faulty design? This rule is nonsensical.

The next Grand Prix is the Hungarian on July 30 with the telecast being 7 p.m. Thai time where we watch on the Jameson’s big screen.

Alonso McLaren 32 Engine

Sainz Toro Rosso 0 Accident

Palmer Renault Did Not Start