A triumphant return: Lewis Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix

Formula One returned to Silverstone to conclude the European triple header. The site of the first ever Formula One race, the track is filled with history and home to iconic corners such as Copes, the Wellington Straight, and the more recently named, Hamilton Straight in honour of seven-time world champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton. As expected for the British summer, the weekend was plagued with ever-changing weather conditions between rain and sunshine.

With the changing weather conditions, the Free Practice sessions were of vital importance to allow for the drivers to get decent running. In particular, the McLarens made the most of these sessions as they finished 1-2 in FP2; this was the first time the McLaren cars had topped a session since Imola 2024. In particular, Lando Norris was in the top three for all three practice sessions throughout the weekend while teammate, Oscar Piastri, was present for two out of three practice sessions.

Unlike other tracks, Silverstone has ample overtaking opportunities therefore qualifying is not as crucial, however, teams are still keen to be as high up the grid as possible. Despite the seemingly positive change in fortunes for Alpine, Silverstone qualifying saw them return to their previous ways as both cars failed to progress past Q1. Pierre Gasly also faced a 50-place grid penalty for changing his power unit. This, however, had little impact as he qualified in 20th.

It was a Mercedes front-row lockout with George Russell qualifying on pole and Lewis Hamilton closely behind in 2nd; this was the team’s 82nd front-row lockout

The disappointment continued on one side of the Redbull garage after Sergio Perez’s Redbull was beached in the gravel after a spin which ultimately left him starting the race in 19th. This Q1 exit for Perez was one in a line of many as he faced the same fate in Monaco and Canada.

It was a Mercedes front-row lockout with George Russell qualifying on pole and Lewis Hamilton closely behind in 2nd; this was the team’s 82nd front-row lockout. After their contact in Austria last week, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were sharing the second row of the grid. Lando’s lap put him in 3rd, leaving the three British drivers at the top of the grid for the first time since South Africa 1968.

Sunday’s race saw only 18 cars line up on the grid for lights out as Alex Albon opted for a pitlane start after taking a new battery outside of his allowed allocation for the season, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was unable to start the race due to a suspected gearbox issue which saw him retire at the end of the formation lap.

Disappointment followed into the Mercedes garage for George Russell who was forced to retire the car on lap 34 of his home race

The threat of rain continued throughout the race as teams were forced to make tough calls about pitstops: Lewis Hamilton and others, such as Max Verstappen, came in for pitstops on lap 39. Yet, not all the teams were as smart with their strategies. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as well as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri were victims of mis-timed pitstop calls, with the former ending the race outside of the points in 14th and the latter in 4th.

Unfortunately, disappointment continued for Sergio Perez’s side of the Redbull Garage as he was unable to score any points in the race. Since the Miami Grand Prix, Perez has only scored eleven points, meaning the gap between himself and teammate Max Verstappen has grown to 137.

Disappointment followed into the Mercedes garage for George Russell who was forced to retire the car on lap 34 of his home race; this came after a sensational qualifying and fresh off a victory in Austria the week before.

Undoubtedly, the star of the weekend was race winner, Sir Lewis Hamilton. 945 days after his last win in Saudi Arabia in 2021, he raised the trophy for a record-breaking ninth time at Silverstone

Undoubtedly, the star of the weekend was race winner, Sir Lewis Hamilton. 945 days after his last win in Saudi Arabia in 2021, he raised the trophy for a record-breaking ninth time at Silverstone, continuing his run of twelve consecutive podiums at the same circuit and his fifteenth podium in total at Silverstone. The trophy, his 150th podium with the team, was a testament to his success with Mercedes, the team he will be leaving at the end of the season to join Ferrari. Max Verstappen in 2nd and Lando Norris in 3rd completed the podium – a variation on the 2023 Silverstone podium.

In the end, it was another British Grand Prix for the history books as Lewis Hamilton became the sixth race winner so far in the 2024 season, which has become increasingly more competitive. With the British GP concluding the European triple header, the sport will return in Hungary where eyes will surely be on the top four teams to see how their fortunes continue to shift and change with the gaps between them growing ever closer.