Verstappen wins with panache at Silverstone

Mercedes can therefore be beaten in 2020. We had almost lost hope but in this kind of situation we can always count on the enthusiasm and talent of Max Verstappen.

Starting on hard tires, the only driver in the Top 10 to adopt such a strategy, the Dutchman and his team Red Bull Racing win their poker game from 4th place on the grid. But we had to work hard. 

Already by erasing the Racing Point from Nico Hulkenberg when the lights go out, something done even before the first turn. Then remaining within firing range of the Mercedes drivers, wearing Medium tires in the lead. 

Author of a great takeoff, the poleman Valtteri Bottas calmly repelled the attacks of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the first round, in a scenario identical to that of the 2019 British GP. 

The Finn then controlled the race, without letting go of that devil Verstappen in 3rd position, who refused to listen to the advice of his engineer who ordered him to take care of his tires. The Flying Dutchman doesn't do groceries. 

Bottas stopped to ride Durs on lap 14 and was imitated by Hamilton a loop later. While it was expected that the Silver Arrows, now black, would regain ground on the Red Bull driver now in charge, the opposite happened. The Mercedes had all the difficulty in the world not to eat their hard shells.

Once the gap had widened around 20 seconds, Verstappen rushed into the pit lane on the 27th lap and put on medium tires as required by the regulations. A pit-stop a bit less well controlled than usual and the Batavian came out just behind Bottas. 

This is where Verstappen’s drive and killer instinct struck again. A straight line later, and the Red Bull driver took back control in the Brooklands-Luffield sequence. 

Verstappen stayed for just 6 short laps with barely resistant yellow rubber, Red Bull intelligently copying its strategy on that of Bottas, who made his 2nd pit-stop of the afternoon on the 33rd lap. The leader did the same and maintained his leading position calmly. 

Hamilton stayed on the track for 8 more laps, probably in a somewhat desperate attempt to make only one stop, but he had to face the facts with 10 laps to go.

Despite a faster pace at the end of the Grand Prix, Hamilton could not erase the gap that separated him from Verstappen, the first non-Mercedes winner of the season. 

Hamilton still managed to get back on the heels of his teammate and main rival for the title, Bottas. The six-time world champion achieved his goals by overtaking the Finn on the 50th of the 52 laps of the race.

Behind the leading trio, Charles Leclerc hangs on to snatch 4th place by making only one stop with his Ferrari. Started 9th, Alexander albon moved up to 5th position, the Red Bull showing good pace in the race with the hard tires.

Followed by the two Racing Points Lance stroll and Hulkenberg. The German dominated his teammate almost the entire race before putting on Soft tires during a third pit-stop, which was strange to say the least, 3 laps from the goal. 

Esteban Ocon limits breakage at Renault by removing 8th place, in front of McLaren de Lando Norris. Daniil Kvyat snatches the last point put into play by preceding his teammate Pierre Gasly.

This anniversary weekend was hectic to say the least off the track but it ended with a great victory for Verstappen, the 9th of his career, the first for Red Bull at Silverstone since Mark Webber in 2012. 

Find in issue 2273 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, the analysis of the 70th anniversary GP by our special correspondent.