2017 British Grand Prix championship points

2017 British Grand Prix

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2017 British Grand Prix

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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61 comments on “2017 British Grand Prix championship points”

  1. Not good for the championship at all. Ferrari obvious the worse car of the two and with the Mercedes advantage in qualifying we’re in for a rather boring second half of the season championship wise. No coincidence all Mercedes wins have come from pole…

    1. Merc weren’t on pole for Russia

    2. My hopes for the remainder of the season:
      1. Kimi will win at Spa – Francorchamps
      2. Bottas will challenge Hamilton for the title through his consistency, assuming no team orders are given
      3. Ferrari will realize their performance deficit and focus attention towards next year’s car
      4. (Total impossibility and longshot, but a man can dream) Kubica goes to Ferrari for 2018 or 2019

      1. 3. Ferrari will realize their performance deficit and focus attention towards next year’s car

        Ah, yes, that worked such wonders in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Look at all the titles they won in 2012, 2014 and this year!

    3. I don’t agree Merc have a significant advantage, at least not yet. It isn’t just speed, it is reliability and execution.

      Merc had problems with tires in Monico. Ferrari had problems today. Merc has taken grid penalties for tranny already.

      The quickest car may not win the Championship. Three drivers are still with 1 DNF of taking the points lead. It ain’t over yet.

  2. So Vettel has lost more points than Hamilton this season due to bad luck (VSC in Spain, damage in Canada, now this) and is still ahead of Hamilton in the WDC despite driving an inferior car.

    This might sound bitter, but it’s incredibly disappointing to see Hamilton essentially gifted the WDC thanks to a superior car despite Vettel outperforming him this season.

    Those who have been members on this site long enough will remember me taking a very similar stance in 2012, where Alonso lost the WDC despite being the best driver, because his car was not good enough.

    1. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
      16th July 2017, 14:27

      @kingshark what happened to Vettel? I didn’t keep watching the borefest. Accident?

        1. Self inflicted puncture with that ragged lockup defending from Bottas.

      1. Ferrari overdid the Soft tyre stints it seems. Red Bull reacted to Raikkonnen’s issue and pitted Verstappen. Softer race tyres this year on the new Pirelli compounds.

        With Vettel unable to get past Verstappen Ferrari had to respond and pit Vettel earlier than they would have aimed to.

        Silverstone is demanding on tyres with the high speed flowing corners.

    2. it’s incredibly disappointing to see Hamilton essentially gifted the WDC

      You say that like it’s over. It’s not.

      1. It will similar to 2001 where McLaren could keep up with Ferrari when Schumacher struggled (San Marino, Austria) but the championship was quickly over once Ferrari had a bigger advantage over McLaren.

        Mercedes is now in a similar situation. Ferrari’s upgrade didn’t seem to close the gap, it opened up. The next circuits will suit Hamilton and/or Mercedes (Hungary, Belgium, Monza). Additionally the potential penalties for Vettel will accelerate the championship situation.

    3. Vettel would’ve been P4 without the Ferrari punctures, so he only lost 6 points today due to bad luck. Not to mention that he could’ve finished behind Verstappen without the undercut, which forced him to run so long with those tyres. Verstappen also had to make an extra pit stop after pitting after Vettel so early in the race.

    4. Bags of salt in this comment.

      1. @realstig
        True, I am bitter and I’m not even hiding it. It’s just very disappointing whenever an inferior driver wins thanks to a superior car. That was my stance in 2012 and it’s my stance now.

        1. You can argue about a superior car but Lewis is by no means an inferior driver.
          Too bad for Ferrari to have started the season faster than the Mercs and then just fallen behind. It’s their fault and not the Merc’s who outdeveloped them so far.

          1. Hamilton’s performances in Austria, Monaco and Russia says he’s inferior this year. Vettel has not had a mediocre race yet without bad luck.

          2. Baron: He had a mediocre race today (even before the puncture) and a terrible race in Azerbaijan. That’s two out of the last three races.

          3. @hotbottoms How did Vettel have a terrible race today? He was 4 seconds off Kimi who had clean air for the first 30 laps whilst Vettel himself had to get past a feisty Verstappen who could risk all for a podium. If he had taken a little more risk at the start he would’ve been easily second. Neither did he have a bad race pace wise in Baku.

          4. @xtwl
            I said he had a mediocre race today, which he did. He might’ve finished behind Verstappen without an early undercut, which made him vulnerable to a puncture. Azerbaijan was a terrible race for Vettel, since he would’ve won that one easily if he hadn’t drove like a mad man.

          5. @hotbottoms
            But his pace was not mediocre. That’s what I meant. In Russia at least Hamilton did not have the pace Bottas or the Ferrari’s showed. Monaco is of course Monaco but it was he himself who botched qualifying at the only track where qualifying is vital.

        2. Can sharks cry ?

        3. Calling Hamilton an inferior driver is ridiculous. You could argue Vettel is driving much better than him this season, but that’s not true either.

          1. Not much better. But definitely better. Or rather, more consistent. Hence the lead in the championship.

          2. ‘Hence’ a 1-point lead? Hardly definitely better if being in the lead is your measure. Vettel has been consistent, but Hamilton has had more highlights in terms of qualifying and dominating races. And Verstappen has been more outstanding than either, I’d argue, though far unluckier.

    5. What a bunch of cobblers. That Ferrari- in race pace mode was faster than Merc certainly at the beginning of the season. In AUS and Bahrain- Ferrari were superior. You point out Hamilton’s bad races; well in Baku and now Britain- Vettel has had some howlers. Vettel was roundly beaten by what I think is a Kimi who is past his sell by date…. So I guess you can also easily argue Vettel is “inferior”.

      1. Finally we’re doing this again. Kimi is inferior because Vettel beats him, when he does beat Vettel it becomes a means to diminish Vettel’s performance.

        Kind of like Schumacher was used as an inherit bad example for Rosberg during their time at Mercedes, if Michael beat Nico, Nico was bad, if Nico beat Schumacher it didn’t mean anything because Michael was old.

        I’m so glad to have these type of mental gymnastics back.

        1. You have to base my response in the context of what the OP was saying. Personally I think Kimi’s best days are behind him. I also went further to address Vettel’s poor weekends in Baku and Britain (which he cherrypicked with HAM) and so I was utilising the OP’s flawed logic against him. Every driver has off weekends, every driver is beaten by their team mate at some points including the very best. Unless of course you concur with the OP- to which I stand by my comments.

          1. I was utilising the OP’s flawed logic against him

            You saw a flawed argument and altered your own so it would be as flawed as the original was in your view?

            So, mental gymnastics?

      2. Raikkonen was only 4.5 seconds in front of Vettel and Vettel was doing the same pace until he had to defend against Bottas. And Vettel did not have a bad race in Baku. His pace was good. He just made a bad decision which cost him in the end.

    6. @kingshark

      So Vettel has lost more points than Hamilton this season due to bad luck (VSC in Spain, damage in Canada, now this) and is still ahead of Hamilton in the WDC despite driving an inferior car.

      How convenient that in your post you fail to bring up any of the misfortunes that have befallen Lewis so far this season. If you’re trying to put forward an argument at least base it on all the facts and not just one half of them.

      1. @ninjenius
        I didn’t ignore the misfortune that has fallen upon Lewis this season. 17 points net in Baku and 3 points in Austria. Now compare this to Vettel’s 14 points net in Spain, 3 points in Canada, and 6 points in Silverstone.

        Mercedes has been the best car. Vettel has been the best driver.

        1. 14 points in Spain? WTH are you talking about??

  3. Yeah, the championship is kinda over. Mercs have the better engine, the better car, they will just pull ahead now. Vettel is highly to get engine penalties later on.
    This championship was fun while it was close, now we’ll get back to what we had the past 3 years, more or less….

    1. Yeah it is over,Merc is ahead since Spain and they didn’t win there cause Bottas missed pol by 00,43 sec.

      1. Didn’t win Monaco cause Bottas missed pole by small margin.

      2. @dex022
        You’re thinking of Monaco.

  4. Michael Brown (@)
    16th July 2017, 14:34

    With Hamilton being so strong at Hungary he’s going to take the lead of the championship.

  5. For me, the constructor battle is already over more or less. Ferrari really need to pull up there sleeves for VET to win wdc.

    1. Agree, Kimi just hasn’t quite had the results this year to support Vettel and Ferrari with a shot st the WCC. Although he drove an excellent race today, and was faster than Vettel this weekend.

  6. Three leading drivers are within 23 points after 10 races and yet some people are complaining that the WDC battle is over. Some fans are impossible to satisfy.

    1. @hotbottoms It’s the last round of the championship, the final race is super exciting as the two main title contenders are respectively on 199 and 200 points. The men get ready for the sprint. Usain Bolt in lane 1, the one armed wheelchair guy Kevin in lane 2.

      1. @xtwl: Nicely summed up in your analogy.

        It was already worrying to see Mercedes’ advantage in Canda and Baku, partially also Bottas in his first stint in Austria. The only reason Vettel is not 20+ points behind now is because of Hamilton’s issues in Baku and Austria. Sad that people are incapable of taking the different speed of cars into account when talking about an “interesting” championship – they only see that 1 point and not the potential advantage Mercedes will hold soon if both teams stay out of troubles.

        1. @xenomorph91
          Bottas is only 22 points behind Hamilton, so the championship is wide open even if you believe that Mercedes is the superior car from now on.

          1. @hotbottoms Mercedes doesn’t have to be branded ‘ambitious’ when they say they still want to finish 1-2 by Dubai. With the performance over the last three races it is expected now.

          2. But I don’t believe Bottas is capable nor allowed to fight Hamilton.

          3. @hotbottoms
            Nobody intellectually honest seriously believes that Bottas can beat Hamilton unless Lewis suffers from serious misfortunes for the rest of the season.

        2. Sorry to take you back to your days as schoolchildren, but it’s a y – intercept vs slope relationship

      2. Then the race gets under away and Bolt’s spikes fail him as the laces become undone and “one armed wheelchair guy Kevin in lane 2” takes over the lead by default causing the biggest upset in sporting history.

        I quite liked your analogy but I think it wasn’t quite right; F1 is not and has never been a pure athlete’s sport like Athletics or Tennis. The drivers can be at the peak of their powers- but if the car fails you then it doesn’t matter you will not score the points. What I am trying to say is you can have a car with inherent outright pace but if it doesn’t finish races and breaks down all the time then even the best drivers in the best car can still lose the championship.

        For example, think back to 2012; victories thrown away by Mclaren in Singapore and Abu Dhabi plus broken rollbars in Korea etc all meant it effectively ended Hamilton’s championship. Ferrari are still within striking distance and so long as that remains the case Hamilton, Bottas and Merc cannot get complacent.

  7. I think that this race’s events only made the title fight more interesting, a whole lot more interesting. It’s not over yet.

  8. I honestly can’t see how Hamilton could lose the title anymore. Mercedes is clearly the better car overall and Bottas is too inconsistent to really challenge Hamilton for the title. Shame really, I have been wating for that next great season since 2012 and for a moment I thought this might be it.

    1. @diceman
      Bottas is too inconsistent? He had a rough start to the season in a new team, but I don’t see why you think he’s “inconsistent”. Last four races he has finished P1 or P2 in every race and gathered more championship points than any other driver. Bottas was also very consistent in Williams.

      1. @hotbottoms
        With this car Bottas should have been P7 on the grid after the penalty. Not P9. If he wants to take the fight to Hamilton he needs to be able to challenge consistently on the Saturday as well. if he starts behind and doesn’t get through turn 1 ahead he will not win as the team won’t give him an under or overcut.

      2. Marian Gri (@)
        16th July 2017, 17:06

        Rough start?? What did you expect from BOT, win every race this season?? Jeeez guys, BOT races against HAM and VET, VER and RIC are at least just as good as BOT, so they can create trouble too if the RBRs get in front somehow (only today VET had a headache trying to get past VER in a faster car and did not manage to do it in the end), RAI is not that bad yet either… plus BOT did nothing really spectacular in his F1 carreer, I’m still thinking if he truly is champ material. He had a solid champ so far (8/10), nothing spectacular but asking more from him is too much given his experience and what he showed so far.

    2. Ferrari have the car, points and the drivers (well, one) to mount a serious challenge this season still. If they don’t, it’s entirely down to Ferrari not developing the car as well as Mercedes. So blame Ferrari, they have the resources, so no excuses.

  9. Perhaps we should all think about how the championship might look
    today had Verstappen not been clobbered in six of this seasons races.
    As he showed us once again today, if his very fragile car holds together
    for a full race duration, the guy has the capacity to throw all our
    confident predictions about likely outcomes straight out the window !

    He does things in impossible situations which defy description.

    And no, I don’t think it’s sustainable in the longer term either !

    1. He put a car on P4 after either a Mercedes or Ferrari fell back.

      Daniel Ricciardo put his Red Bull on the podium a bunch of times.

      I guess Daniel Ricciardo would have been leading the championship by now if Renault didn’t have a slow start or damaged his Silverstone chances at a podium.

      1. @npf1
        The only reason Ricciardo has had 1 win and 4 podiums is because Verstappen retired in front of him or hit trouble. In spain, Verstappen was ahead but punted off along with Kimi and Bottas retired later on too. All of them were ahead of Ricciardo. In Monaco, Red Bull tried to undercut Bottas, that didn’t work and they both got stuck behind Sainz(?) and Ricciardo got the overcut. Before that Verstappens pace was simply better. Canada, Verstappen retires from P2. Azerbaijan, Verstappen retires when well ahead of Ricciardo. Austria, clutch cooked and punted off at turn 1.
        So maybe Austria would have gone Ricciardo’s way. Regardless, Verstappen would have been well ahead of Ricciardo without his car problems and Bottas and Kvyat punting him off.
        You can’t seriously say Ricciardo is driving better.

        1. He does things in impossible situations which defy description.

          Is what I was replying to. The thing he did was stick his Red Bull Racing in P4. Very much a thing in a possible situation (Vettel puncture, Riccardo not there to collect Verstappen’s place due to his final pitstop) that very much are to be described (kind of like you and I have been doing these last two posts. The last paragraph was poking some fun at his superlatives.

          I might be Dutch and a Verstappen fan, but I am sick of people celebrating Max finishing on a completely understandable position given the car and race, and treating it like he drove a borrowed 2012 HRT to a race win.

  10. Shark fins rule
    16th July 2017, 18:47

    I knew Lewis could win this one

  11. Hamilton lost 15 points in Baku, and Vettel gained 2.
    Hamilton lost at least 3 on RBRing and Vettel gained at least 3.

    And the guy there complaining about a VSC. Vettel is the first to pit almost every race. He just loves to undercut. He won all his races this year doing it. If a VSC spoils it you cant consider bad luck. Or If he has a bad start. The first misfortune Vettel had Wasikowska this tyre.

    Everything before it is racing.

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