It may have been a celebrity-packed paddock at
Silverstone for a rain-lashed British Grand Prix, but
Lewis Hamilton proved to be undoubtedly the biggest star of them all by thoroughly trouncing every one of his rivals to triumph in front of his home fans and launch himself right back into title contention.
Describing the success as probably his greatest-ever victory, it was difficult to argue as the Stevenage-born ace answered all of his critics with aplomb to cap a flawless performance by grabbing a share of the world championship lead – and with not a trace of scarlet in sight up on the podium afterwards on a bleak, error-strewn day for the
Scuderia, it made it overall for the Briton just the perfect race.
With the track still very wet but the sun trying to break through, the dilemma before the start was whether to risk wet weather rubber or intermediates, with Kimi Raikkonen’s
Ferrari and Hamilton’s McLaren-Mercedes both looking particularly twitchy on the latter on the way around to the grid, but front row starters
Heikki Kovalainen and
Mark Webber seeming to suggest inters could well be the better choice.
Indeed, all drivers ultimately plumped for the hybrid option, and the predicted chaos subsequently ensued. Whilst Kovalainen made a good start, Hamilton’s was better still, as the Briton and fellow second row starter Raikkonen went either side of Webber’s slow-starting
Red Bull Racing.
Indeed, so good was Hamilton’s getaway that he even got a run on his team-mate into Copse, and only Kovalainen holding on bravely around the outside – the two Silver Arrows even coming close to touching wheels as both cars twitched in unison on the slippery surface – prevented the home hero from sensationally shooting by into the lead.
