Formula 1 returned to British soil at the famous Silverstone circuit for the 10th round of the 2016 season.
The charming and historic circuit hosted its 50th F1 race weekend and the 67th British Grand Prix in total, as it was one of the events to feature on the calendar for the inaugural season in 1950.
FP1
Lewis Hamilton set the pace for Mercedes in the first 90-minute practice session of the British GP weekend, finishing 0.033 seconds clear of his team-mate Nico Rosberg with a 1m31.654.
Nico Hulkenberg showed encouraging early speed for Force India in third, with Sebastian Vettel fourth despite a late gearbox problem causing him to coast back to the pits.
Vettel sampled the latest version of the 'halo' cockpit protection device during the session. Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen, who was announced at Ferrari for 2017 earlier in the morning, were fifth and sixth.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were next up, with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Fernando Alonso completing the top 10.
FP1-only runners Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon were 18th and 19th for Haas and Renault, the former suffering a spin during the session.
FP2
Hamilton remained quickest in second practice, improving on his FP1 benchmark slightly with a 1m31.660 at the wheel of his Mercedes W07.
But his team-mate Rosberg failed to complete a lap in the session after an oil leak. Ricciardo finished four tenths behind Hamilton in second place, with Verstappen third.
Vettel was fourth and Raikkonen was fifth, despite a late off-track excursion. Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Romain Grosjean, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa completed the top 10.
Esteban Gutierrez and Kevin Magnussen returned to their cars after they were replaced by young drivers for FP1, finishing 12th and 20th respectively.
Daniil Kvyat was 13th but struggled during the session and caused a yellow flag after spinning early on at the final corner, damaging his front wing on a kerb.
FP3
Hamilton put in the quickest time in the disrupted third practice session ahead of the British GP, after a heavy crash for the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.
The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg were first and second, the former putting in a 1:30.904 to finish 0.063 seconds ahead of his team-mate.
The session began in damp conditions after earlier rain and despite the surface drying out, the kerbs remained treacherous. Ericsson found that out when he spun off into the wall at Stowe with 20 minutes to go.
The heavy crash brought out the red flag, with the session resuming with just five minutes to go. Ricciardo and Verstappen went third and fourth, with Vettel fifth despite a late gearbox issue.
Bottas, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Sainz completed the top 10. Gutierrez, Button and Grosjean were next up. Massa was down in 15th.
Qualifying
Hamilton bounced back from his initial Q3 run being deleted for exceeding track limits at Copse to claim his fourth pole position at the British GP.
The British driver put in a new qualifying record at Silverstone on his second attempt with a 1m29.287, with Rosberg having to settle for second place.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were next up for Red Bull, failing to improve on their first laps. Raikkonen and Vettel qualified fifth and sixth, but the latter has a gearbox change penalty.
Bottas, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Alonso rounded out the runners in Q3 but will be promoted one position due to Vettel’s penalty.
Perez dropped to 11th in the final stages of Q2, with Massa only managing 12th. Grosjean and Gutierrez were next up.
Kvyat and Magnussen completed the runners in the second qualifying segment. There was some confusion as to whether the Renault could take part after running wide in Q1 but the stewards did not delete his time and he was able to run in the session.
A late improvement from Kvyat dropped Button into the elimination zone in 17th place, ahead of fellow Brit Jolyon Palmer.
Rio Haryanto displaced his team-mate Pascal Wehrlein for P19, with Felipe Nasr slowest of the runners and Ericsson not taking part due to his FP3 crash.
The Race
A heavy rain shower drenched the Silverstone circuit ahead of the start. Despite the sun emerging in time for lights out, the race began behind the safety car.
Hamilton led the field away from the grid, with Rosberg, Verstappen and Ricciardo next up. Drivers reported some standing water on the track and aquaplaning in the early laps, before the cars were finally released from behind the safety car on lap five.
Hamilton got a good jump on Rosberg, while a number of drivers - including Raikkonen, Bottas, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Vettel - pitting straight away for intermediate tyres. Rosberg quickly started to fall into the clutches of Verstappen.
Wehrlein went off and spun into the gravel on the seventh lap, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen and Perez all pitted straight away and gained a considerable chunk of time compared to their rivals.
Hamilton's lead was up to 4.5 seconds by lap nine, while in the midfield there were some close battles. Haryanto and Bottas went for spins in the final sector, with the latter losing several places in the process. Moments earlier Ericsson had reported an engine issue and retired.
Rosberg was told to look after his tyres on lap 12, looking to go straight onto slicks at their next pitstop. Hulkenberg was all over the back of Massa by the following tour, with Williams struggling in the slippery conditions.
He tried to make a move several times but without success, bringing Alonso and Vettel into the mix. Verstappen continued to close the gap to Rosberg and was within one second of the Mercedes by lap 16.
He had a great run through Maggots/Becketts and made a move around the outside, getting the inside line for Chapel and storming into second place. Meanwhile Vettel was the first to pit for slicks on the same lap, going for the medium compound tyre.
Raikkonen moved onto the mediums on the next lap, with a number of other drivers following him in. Palmer lost time after his right-rear wheel wasn't secured properly. Race leaders Hamilton and Rosberg pitted on lap 18, with Verstappen staying out for one more tour of the Silverstone circuit.
Vettel went off at the first corner and spun while rejoining the circuit, losing ground. Verstappen emerged from his stop well clear of Rosberg. Grosjean became the third retirement from the race on lap 19, stopping at Copse with an issue.
Massa and Alonso went wheel-to-wheel on the run to Brooklands on lap 20, with the McLaren putting two wheels on the grass at one point before backing out of the move. Hamilton and Verstappen were trading fastest laps before the Red Bull driver lost three seconds running wide at the first corner.
Alonso spun at Turn 1 and tapped the barrier but continued in 13th, while Sainz did the same thing one lap later. The Toro Rosso driver fell to eighth. Haryanto did the same thing on lap 25 and hit the wall, beaching his car in the gravel at the same time.
The first corner caught race leader Hamilton out on lap 28, losing a few seconds with the off-track excursion. Verstappen did the same thing just moments later and fell right into the clutches of the closing Rosberg.
Vettel moved into the top 10 on lap 29 with a move on Kvyat. Hamilton's lead out front was six seconds despite his trip across the run-off area, with Verstappen, Rosberg, Ricciardo and Perez next up after the half-way mark.
Rosberg was right behind Verstappen and tried to find a way through several times, but couldn't move up to second. However, on lap 38 the German driver made a move on the run to Stowe and moved into the runner-up spot.
Massa was the first driver to pit for the second time on lap 39, moving onto the soft tyre. Meanwhile Palmer's home race came to an early and disappointing end after a problem. Alonso and Grosjean pitted for fresh tyres at the end of the following tour.
Raikkonen cut the gap to Perez in the fight for fifth and was all over the back of the Force India with six laps to go, making a move on the next lap. Rosberg dropped three seconds to Hamilton and reported a gearbox issue, with worried faces on the Mercedes pitwall as Verstappen closed in.
Hamilton crossed the line over eight seconds clear of his nearest rival to win his fourth British GP, with Rosberg* holding onto second place and Verstappen completing the podium after a dramatic race at Silverstone.
Ricciardo and Raikkonen were next up, ahead of Perez, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Vettel and Kvyat. Massa, Button and Alonso were 11th, 12th and 13th, with Bottas, Nasr, Gutierrez and Magnusen completing the finishers.
*After the race Rosberg was given a 10-second penalty for breaching radio regulations, falling to P3.
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| © Mercedes |
FP1
Lewis Hamilton set the pace for Mercedes in the first 90-minute practice session of the British GP weekend, finishing 0.033 seconds clear of his team-mate Nico Rosberg with a 1m31.654.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Nico Hulkenberg showed encouraging early speed for Force India in third, with Sebastian Vettel fourth despite a late gearbox problem causing him to coast back to the pits.
Vettel sampled the latest version of the 'halo' cockpit protection device during the session. Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen, who was announced at Ferrari for 2017 earlier in the morning, were fifth and sixth.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were next up, with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Fernando Alonso completing the top 10.
FP1-only runners Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon were 18th and 19th for Haas and Renault, the former suffering a spin during the session.
FP2
Hamilton remained quickest in second practice, improving on his FP1 benchmark slightly with a 1m31.660 at the wheel of his Mercedes W07.
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| © Octane Photographic |
But his team-mate Rosberg failed to complete a lap in the session after an oil leak. Ricciardo finished four tenths behind Hamilton in second place, with Verstappen third.
Vettel was fourth and Raikkonen was fifth, despite a late off-track excursion. Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Romain Grosjean, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa completed the top 10.
Esteban Gutierrez and Kevin Magnussen returned to their cars after they were replaced by young drivers for FP1, finishing 12th and 20th respectively.
Daniil Kvyat was 13th but struggled during the session and caused a yellow flag after spinning early on at the final corner, damaging his front wing on a kerb.
FP3
Hamilton put in the quickest time in the disrupted third practice session ahead of the British GP, after a heavy crash for the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg were first and second, the former putting in a 1:30.904 to finish 0.063 seconds ahead of his team-mate.
The session began in damp conditions after earlier rain and despite the surface drying out, the kerbs remained treacherous. Ericsson found that out when he spun off into the wall at Stowe with 20 minutes to go.
The heavy crash brought out the red flag, with the session resuming with just five minutes to go. Ricciardo and Verstappen went third and fourth, with Vettel fifth despite a late gearbox issue.
Bottas, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Sainz completed the top 10. Gutierrez, Button and Grosjean were next up. Massa was down in 15th.
Qualifying
Hamilton bounced back from his initial Q3 run being deleted for exceeding track limits at Copse to claim his fourth pole position at the British GP.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The British driver put in a new qualifying record at Silverstone on his second attempt with a 1m29.287, with Rosberg having to settle for second place.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were next up for Red Bull, failing to improve on their first laps. Raikkonen and Vettel qualified fifth and sixth, but the latter has a gearbox change penalty.
Bottas, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Alonso rounded out the runners in Q3 but will be promoted one position due to Vettel’s penalty.
Perez dropped to 11th in the final stages of Q2, with Massa only managing 12th. Grosjean and Gutierrez were next up.
Kvyat and Magnussen completed the runners in the second qualifying segment. There was some confusion as to whether the Renault could take part after running wide in Q1 but the stewards did not delete his time and he was able to run in the session.
A late improvement from Kvyat dropped Button into the elimination zone in 17th place, ahead of fellow Brit Jolyon Palmer.
Rio Haryanto displaced his team-mate Pascal Wehrlein for P19, with Felipe Nasr slowest of the runners and Ericsson not taking part due to his FP3 crash.
The Race
A heavy rain shower drenched the Silverstone circuit ahead of the start. Despite the sun emerging in time for lights out, the race began behind the safety car.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton led the field away from the grid, with Rosberg, Verstappen and Ricciardo next up. Drivers reported some standing water on the track and aquaplaning in the early laps, before the cars were finally released from behind the safety car on lap five.
Hamilton got a good jump on Rosberg, while a number of drivers - including Raikkonen, Bottas, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Vettel - pitting straight away for intermediate tyres. Rosberg quickly started to fall into the clutches of Verstappen.
Wehrlein went off and spun into the gravel on the seventh lap, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. Hamilton, Rosberg, Verstappen and Perez all pitted straight away and gained a considerable chunk of time compared to their rivals.
Hamilton's lead was up to 4.5 seconds by lap nine, while in the midfield there were some close battles. Haryanto and Bottas went for spins in the final sector, with the latter losing several places in the process. Moments earlier Ericsson had reported an engine issue and retired.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Rosberg was told to look after his tyres on lap 12, looking to go straight onto slicks at their next pitstop. Hulkenberg was all over the back of Massa by the following tour, with Williams struggling in the slippery conditions.
He tried to make a move several times but without success, bringing Alonso and Vettel into the mix. Verstappen continued to close the gap to Rosberg and was within one second of the Mercedes by lap 16.
He had a great run through Maggots/Becketts and made a move around the outside, getting the inside line for Chapel and storming into second place. Meanwhile Vettel was the first to pit for slicks on the same lap, going for the medium compound tyre.
Raikkonen moved onto the mediums on the next lap, with a number of other drivers following him in. Palmer lost time after his right-rear wheel wasn't secured properly. Race leaders Hamilton and Rosberg pitted on lap 18, with Verstappen staying out for one more tour of the Silverstone circuit.
Vettel went off at the first corner and spun while rejoining the circuit, losing ground. Verstappen emerged from his stop well clear of Rosberg. Grosjean became the third retirement from the race on lap 19, stopping at Copse with an issue.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Massa and Alonso went wheel-to-wheel on the run to Brooklands on lap 20, with the McLaren putting two wheels on the grass at one point before backing out of the move. Hamilton and Verstappen were trading fastest laps before the Red Bull driver lost three seconds running wide at the first corner.
Alonso spun at Turn 1 and tapped the barrier but continued in 13th, while Sainz did the same thing one lap later. The Toro Rosso driver fell to eighth. Haryanto did the same thing on lap 25 and hit the wall, beaching his car in the gravel at the same time.
The first corner caught race leader Hamilton out on lap 28, losing a few seconds with the off-track excursion. Verstappen did the same thing just moments later and fell right into the clutches of the closing Rosberg.
Vettel moved into the top 10 on lap 29 with a move on Kvyat. Hamilton's lead out front was six seconds despite his trip across the run-off area, with Verstappen, Rosberg, Ricciardo and Perez next up after the half-way mark.
Rosberg was right behind Verstappen and tried to find a way through several times, but couldn't move up to second. However, on lap 38 the German driver made a move on the run to Stowe and moved into the runner-up spot.
Massa was the first driver to pit for the second time on lap 39, moving onto the soft tyre. Meanwhile Palmer's home race came to an early and disappointing end after a problem. Alonso and Grosjean pitted for fresh tyres at the end of the following tour.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Raikkonen cut the gap to Perez in the fight for fifth and was all over the back of the Force India with six laps to go, making a move on the next lap. Rosberg dropped three seconds to Hamilton and reported a gearbox issue, with worried faces on the Mercedes pitwall as Verstappen closed in.
Hamilton crossed the line over eight seconds clear of his nearest rival to win his fourth British GP, with Rosberg* holding onto second place and Verstappen completing the podium after a dramatic race at Silverstone.
Ricciardo and Raikkonen were next up, ahead of Perez, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Vettel and Kvyat. Massa, Button and Alonso were 11th, 12th and 13th, with Bottas, Nasr, Gutierrez and Magnusen completing the finishers.
*After the race Rosberg was given a 10-second penalty for breaching radio regulations, falling to P3.
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