Having been cleared of any wrongdoing in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton will start the British Grand Prix from pole position, giving him a great chance to score a record-equalling fourth consecutive home win.
But with his team mate relegated to the lower reaches of the top ten due to a penalty, Hamilton will have to see off the threat from the two Ferraris immediately behind him on the grid single-handedly.
One piece of good news for Hamilton is that he’s separated from title rival Sebastian Vettel by the other Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen. The latter desperately needs a result of his own, having scored less than half Vettel’s points total so far.
However Ferrari’s long-run pace on Friday looked ominous for Mercedes. As we saw in Austria, they could be well-placed to pile pressure on their silver rivals towards the end of a stint.
Having two cars on Hamilton’s tail will allow them to cover off more than one strategic option, particularly as they seem unlikely to face a threat from Max Verstappen behind. Hamilton’s pit wall are likely to face the predicament of whether to accept the possibility of losing the race to Raikkonen as the price for keeping his title rival Vettel behind.
Hamilton’s team mate Valtteri Bottas will need another of his suspiciously good starts to get into the fight for a podium finish. He has chosen the alternative tyre strategy, which Hamilton went for in Austria, though it didn’t help him to a great extent.
Meanwhile Daniel Ricciardo will be on a mission to reach the points from the back. He has plenty of fresh sets of super-softs available, but that’s unlikely to prove a great advantage as they aren’t very durable.
This race promises to be run at a scorching pace. The weather forecast for tomorrow indicates it should stay dry. The energy-sapping, high-G corners will take their toll on the drivers over the 52-lap distance.
Go ad-free for just £1 per month
>> Find out more and sign up
Qualifying times in full
| Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 (vs Q1) | Q3 (vs Q2) | |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’39.069 | 1’27.893 (-11.176) | 1’26.600 (-1.293) |
| 2 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1’40.455 | 1’28.992 (-11.463) | 1’27.147 (-1.845) |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1’39.962 | 1’28.978 (-10.984) | 1’27.356 (-1.622) |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’39.698 | 1’28.732 (-10.966) | 1’27.376 (-1.356) |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1’38.912 | 1’29.431 (-9.481) | 1’28.130 (-1.301) |
| 6 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1’39.201 | 1’29.340 (-9.861) | 1’28.856 (-0.484) |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 1’42.009 | 1’29.824 (-12.185) | 1’28.902 (-0.922) |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1’39.738 | 1’29.701 (-10.037) | 1’29.074 (-0.627) |
| 9 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1’40.011 | 1’30.105 (-9.906) | 1’29.418 (-0.687) |
| 10 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1’42.042 | 1’29.966 (-12.076) | 1’29.549 (-0.417) |
| 11 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1’41.404 | 1’30.193 (-11.211) | |
| 12 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1’41.726 | 1’30.355 (-11.371) | |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1’37.598 | 1’30.600 (-6.998) | |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | 1’41.114 | 1’31.368 (-9.746) | |
| 15 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1’41.874 | 1’31.482 (-10.392) | |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1’42.573 | ||
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1’42.577 | ||
| 18 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber | 1’42.593 | ||
| 19 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1’42.633 | ||
| 20 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1’42.966 |
Sector times
| Driver | Sector 1 | Sector 2 | Sector 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 27.814 (1) | 35.018 (1) | 23.768 (1) |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 28.019 (3) | 35.222 (2) | 23.906 (3) |
| Sebastian Vettel | 27.989 (2) | 35.416 (4) | 23.847 (2) |
| Valtteri Bottas | 28.024 (4) | 35.359 (3) | 23.947 (4) |
| Max Verstappen | 28.164 (5) | 35.839 (5) | 24.060 (5) |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 28.421 (7) | 36.142 (9) | 24.176 (6) |
| Sergio Perez | 28.317 (6) | 36.056 (7) | 24.448 (7) |
| Esteban Ocon | 28.470 (8) | 36.077 (8) | 24.456 (8) |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | 28.631 (11) | 36.289 (10) | 24.493 (9) |
| Romain Grosjean | 28.610 (9) | 35.975 (6) | 24.493 (9) |
| Jolyon Palmer | 28.627 (10) | 36.877 (13) | 24.689 (12) |
| Daniil Kvyat | 28.722 (12) | 36.765 (11) | 24.652 (11) |
| Fernando Alonso | 28.999 (15) | 36.870 (12) | 24.731 (13) |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | 28.799 (13) | 37.520 (14) | 24.931 (15) |
| Felipe Massa | 28.968 (14) | 37.700 (15) | 24.808 (14) |
| Lance Stroll | 32.598 (20) | 42.341 (17) | 27.471 (18) |
| Kevin Magnussen | 32.096 (17) | 42.839 (20) | 27.415 (16) |
| Pascal Wehrlein | 32.362 (18) | 42.801 (19) | 27.430 (17) |
| Marcus Ericsson | 31.998 (16) | 42.787 (18) | 27.679 (19) |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 32.510 (19) | 41.735 (16) | 28.721 (20) |
Speed trap
| Pos | Driver | Car | Engine | Speed (kph/mph) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felipe Massa | Williams | Mercedes | 325.2 (202.1) | |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | Mercedes | 322.9 (200.6) | -2.3 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Mercedes | 322.0 (200.1) | -3.2 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Force India | Mercedes | 321.7 (199.9) | -3.5 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | TAG Heuer | 320.9 (199.4) | -4.3 |
| 6 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | Ferrari | 320.0 (198.8) | -5.2 |
| 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | Ferrari | 319.7 (198.7) | -5.5 |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | Mercedes | 319.5 (198.5) | -5.7 |
| 9 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | Renault | 318.1 (197.7) | -7.1 |
| 10 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | Ferrari | 316.4 (196.6) | -8.8 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | Renault | 315.9 (196.3) | -9.3 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | Renault | 315.4 (196.0) | -9.8 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Williams | Mercedes | 313.9 (195.0) | -11.3 |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | Ferrari | 312.5 (194.2) | -12.7 |
| 15 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | Renault | 311.4 (193.5) | -13.8 |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | Honda | 309.8 (192.5) | -15.4 |
| 17 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | Honda | 307.2 (190.9) | -18.0 |
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | TAG Heuer | 305.7 (190.0) | -19.5 |
| 19 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber | Ferrari | 303.1 (188.3) | -22.1 |
| 20 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | Ferrari | 300.7 (186.8) | -24.5 |
Drivers’ remaining tyres
| Driver | Team | Medium | Soft | Super-soft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Used | New | Used | New | Used | ||
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Sergio Perez | Force India | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Felipe Massa | Williams | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Lance Stroll | Williams | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | Toro Rosso | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Romain Grosjean | Haas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Over to you
Will it be another home win for Hamilton or can Ferrari stop him at Silverstone? And where will Bottas and Ricciardo finish from their compromised starting positions.
Share your views on the British Grand Prix in the comments.
2017 British Grand Prix
- 2017 British Grand Prix Predictions Championship results
- Dominant Hamilton wins Driver of the Weekend
- British GP rates below its average despite late-race drama
- 2017 British Grand Prix team radio transcript
- 2017 British Grand Prix Star Performers
erikje
15th July 2017, 22:12
Interesting, accuweather fives a 45% chance for rain.
https://www.accuweather.com/uk/gb/silverstone/nn12-8/daily-weather-forecast/330028?day=2
Just grasping at straws here ;)
Olav (@okersen)
16th July 2017, 7:57
Now it shows even a larger chance of rain for 3 pm.
Jere (@jerejj)
16th July 2017, 10:15
@okersen The race will be over way before 3 pm (local time), though, should it remain dry throughout.
Olav (@okersen)
16th July 2017, 10:40
Yeah, sorry, got my local and UK times mixed up. For now Accuweather shows a 40% possibility of rain for the start.
Fran
16th July 2017, 9:31
Inaccuweather
Loup Garou (@loup-garou)
15th July 2017, 22:12
With a full fuel load under racing conditions, Ferrari are closer to the Mercs. It would be interesting to see what Hamilton plans to do tomorrow; if he concentrates on heading off Raikkonen at the start, there is the risk of leaving Vettel too much space to rush through the gap. Or, as is more likely, Hamilton keeps Vettel at bay, Raikkonen may try to jump ahead and block Hamilton’s progress. With those three watching each other, there is the Mad Max factor, of course.
mystic one (@mysticus)
16th July 2017, 0:29
not always the case with practice sessions… Ham if he doesnt screw up the start process, is almost unbeatable here. He won 1 in every two races here in the last 10 years… If no major event takes place (e.g BAKU) through the middle/end part of the race to hinder/damage ham’s car, i doubt Ferrari’s will come anywhere close to be a threat…
I bet that Bottas will be at firing distance of the Reds midway or earlier in the race… Reds are well overdue for some brake downs, all other teams had it… expecting Vettel feud blow up out of desperation/anger in the race…
Chinmay
16th July 2017, 5:54
Before 2014, Hamilton was horrible at Silverstone. I don’t expect him to win on Sunday.
Fran
16th July 2017, 9:32
mystic or mystguided?
tgu (@thegrapeunwashed)
15th July 2017, 22:23
One thing’s for sure: it’ll be another race where Ferrari screw Raikkonen. Understandable perhaps, but he must be getting to the end of his tether now. Ferrari are very close to Mercedes on race pace so by acting in concert they ought to be able to get Vettel ahead – but such is Hamilton’s desire (and need) to win this race that I think he’ll be able to pass Vettel if he needs to. This could be a classic!
pSynrg (@psynrg)
15th July 2017, 23:04
@thegrapeunwashed Considering Kimi is probably demanding a WDC type salary from Ferrari, but generally driving like a #2, it’s more a question of who’s screwing who?
tgu (@thegrapeunwashed)
16th July 2017, 11:34
@psynrg, he’s not in it for the money though, is he? Monaco showed how much he still cares about winning. He looks quicker than Vettel at Silverstone, but once again Ferrari will give him a crappy strategy which will make his performance look far worse than it should (as in Austria), even if there’s only the slimmest chance of it benefiting Vettel (as in Austria).
Raikkonen hasn’t been quite on Vettel’s pace for most of the year, I’m not disputing that, I just wonder how long he’s going to put up with Ferrari ruining his race results. They basically slotted Kimi into the #2 driver position from about the third race this year – that’s ridiculous.
Feuerdrache (@xenomorph91)
15th July 2017, 23:09
More often than not Räikkönen screwed Ferrari and not the other way around.
Examples?
Australia: way off pace
China: way off pace (getting overtaken by Vettel)
Bahrain: way off pace
Russia: slightly less off pace
Spain: getting taken out but would probably be also off pace
Monaco: no one could expect that older ultra softs were faster than new super softs but could have been quicker before the stop to build a gap
Canada: also off pace compared to Vettel
Baku: faster for the first time in qualifying but manages to risk everything in the 2nd corner and fails
Austria: off the pace
javier javier (@j3d89)
16th July 2017, 0:35
Nice… Someone actually say it… People love Kimi cuz he is popular… But forget that Ferrari don’t need a popular driver but a fast driver, Kimi been underperforming the whole season… I would say if Kimi was as good as bottas.. Ferrari would be further ahead in both championship
Fran
16th July 2017, 9:34
You can’t seriously be blaming Kimi for Baku?
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
15th July 2017, 23:28
If it stays dry on race day, Bottas may actually have the best strategy if he can do what Mercedes have done last year quite frequently: to use the harder tire compounds to make fewer stops. The front-runners have to use the super-soft tire, which is considered not to be very useful in the race, so they may have to stop early. Bottas will be in traffic in the early stages of the race, so he will try to go as long as possible on his first set of softs (and by doing so he may be blocking the Ferraris), and then switch to mediums. He then will be on a 1-stopper, while the others may have to stop twice. There are many unknown factors in this prediction, but I think Bottas may still interfere with the Hamilton-Ferrari battle. (Of course this is all immaterial if Bottas crashes out in the first lap or if Hamilton dominates the race.)
Neil (@neilosjames)
16th July 2017, 0:18
Funny how, despite all the interest in Mercedes and Ferrari taking different tyre approaches… Hamilton, Vettel and Raikkonen all go into the race with 2 new softs and three used supersofts each.
mystic one (@mysticus)
16th July 2017, 0:24
not all, check the table, all has different used/new allocations…
Julian (Mr. Sakura) (@xiasitlo)
16th July 2017, 0:46
What most people miss here is…
Max and Seb are alongside which if you ask me is the most dangerous start of the season yet. Vettel not wanting to get stuck behind even more people, wants to turn down the hype in Lewis’ home race, get revenge. Max, hungry, uncaring about the team as they failed him this year, both will take full risks. Regardless of the weather, this will be a brilliant pairing.
People here are starting to realize it though. The problem will be Kimi again here, especially with Verstappen ready to out-brake Vettel is they start a Kimi-train. If Vettel wants to win this championship, Ferrari needs to secretly swap them before the first pit stops. And still I don’t think he will be able to make an overtake stick into Copse or Brooklands as you can only run one line through it, He will need even more balls then the overtake on Bottas in Spain, it’s this scenario or Kimi jumps Lewis.
Furthermore, now Accuweather alongside Foreca (Microsoft’s weather partner) are predicting 60/70
% of rain at the start. If the Mercedes again has problems with the tyre wear and they try to cover off Vettel if he jumps Kimi then the rain could fall into Ferrari’s better wear which would could be the decisive factor when the track dries.
Besides that if the cars start on intermediates or the track dries up unexpectedly, Max will certainly try to jump/lunge to the first row and he will be an even more decisive factor, as he will be (too?) eager to show he’s still wonder-kid.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
16th July 2017, 3:48
You sure make it sound as if Vettee is behind in the championship!
Fran
16th July 2017, 9:36
Secret swap, sshhhhhhhh
Shark fins rule
16th July 2017, 1:35
I think Lewis can do it.
Fran
16th July 2017, 9:37
You’ve gone out on a limb with that prediction
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
16th July 2017, 7:25
This evening will be a very difficult call for Ferrari. They are ahead in the drivers points, but behind in the constructors points. So they at some point decide which title is the most realistic to achieve. I love Kimi, but he is way behind in the points. Let’s say that they all do the first lap and end up in grid order. Now, if Kimi can’t take the race to Hamilton, then it’s best to let Seb try.
Duc Pham (@ducpham2708)
16th July 2017, 8:20
Should be an interesting race. Wish they didn’t schedule it in collision with the Wimbledon final. Now I don’t know which to watch: a potential battle for the win or a potential 19th Slam for Federer.
Fran
16th July 2017, 9:38
If l was you I would watch the tennis
Mike Dee (@mike-dee)
16th July 2017, 11:41
Assuming that the first three remain the way they are on the grid after lap 1, and that both Ferraris can match the pace of Hamilton, I predict:
– early pit stop for Räikkönen, going for an undercut.
– Hamilton reacting
– RÄI undercut will be successful
– RAI off the pace and VET stays out putting in 5 or so fastest laps in a row
– VET pits and comes out ahead.
– HAM may or may not be able to overtake RÄI, but can’t get to VET
Ju88sy (@)
16th July 2017, 11:48
Hoping that Verstappen actually gets to finish a race, looking forward to watching Bottas and Ricciardo battle through from their respective positions.