SILVER SURFER Fifth home win for Hamilton
JONATHAN McEVOY
LEWIS HAMILTON, the rock-star hero of modern Silverstone, went surfing triumphantly on the hands of his adoring public. By winning the British Grand Prix with a searing performance, he had driven himself level with a different man from a bygone age, Jim Clark, and no acclaim for the Stevenageborn battler’s sporting prowess was too much.
The triple world champion gazed at the old golden trophy and surveyed the names engraved around its base. He could see that of Clark and himself among Stewart and Moss and Mansell and all the rest. But, of the Brits, only Hamilton and Clark have won Formula One’s oldest race five times. Only he and Hamilton have won it on four successive occasions.
Hamilton reduced his deficit to Sebastian Vettel to a single point at the season’s halfway point after his Ferrari rival suffered a puncture in a late twist under leaden skies.
The jet-set Lewis, with the twinkling earrings, yelled from the podium: ‘I’m coming over to crowd surf. You better get ready for it.’ The throng in front of the ceremonial dais yelled their support, some waved flags. Nobody since Nigel Mansell has whipped up the Silverstone crowd into seething delight as much as Hamilton.
But it was the links with Clark that swept Hamilton into the top drawer. ‘Legend’ was one description thrown at him. He said such a word does not resonate with him. It is for old age and retirement, he said. But he added: ‘I don’t know how I can drive the way I can. I feel blessed.’
This fabulous track in Northamptonshire has acted as the scene of some Hamilton magnificence over the years, never more so than in 2008, when he was a minute better in the soaking wet than everyone else, echoes of Ayrton Senna at Donington in 1993. But his supremacy this past weekend was perhaps more complete, if less startling.
Jackie Stewart, the only other Britain to win three world titles, was quick to acknowledge a brilliant drive when he saw one yesterday.
‘He drove very, very well,’ said Stewart. ‘To have more than 10 seconds to play with was impressive.’
Why is Hamilton so strong at Silverstone? ‘Cos I own it,’ he joked. Have we unearthed a new buyer to save the British Grand Prix? If only, though he did say the race should never be lost from the calendar. There are two years for a new deal to be struck between the BRDC and Liberty Media, respectively the track’s and the sport’s owners, and both sides are cautiously optimistic.
In light of the furore that followed Hamilton all the way to Silverstone — snubbing the pre-race London parade last Wednesday — he was composure itself. He took pole by more than half-a-second. He led every lap. He set the fastest lap. He won by 14sec from his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Everything within his control worked out, so did everything outside his ken. Vettel’s rubber went pop on the penultimate lap. The German was one of three drivers to suffer his front left tyres popping. He went from fourth to finish seventh.
Bottas is worthy of praise for his fine drive from ninth to second, which included a smart pass on Vettel. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was third.
There were a few edgy early skirmishes as Vettel and Max Verstappen duelled at high speed early on. Vettel tried to pass the Dutchman on the outside of Stowe. Verstappen was pushed on to the gravel and they bumped wheels on the exit.
But Verstappen came back at him into Club with a vengeance. This time he squeezed Vettel and defended his position. Verstappen let fly over the radio — ‘He wants to play bumper cars.’
It was hard but fair racing, and hats off to them for that.
Elsewhere, Carlos Sainz was punted off by Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat. ‘Tell Dani he did a very good job there,’ the Spaniard said sarcastically. Kvyaat was handed a drive-through penalty for his dodgems-like driving.
More woe for McLaren with Fernando Alonso losing power from his Honda engine and retiring.
All footnotes in the story of Hamilton’s drive through the record books. The very lightest of rain droplets fell, but it was the sort of day the Brit could have driven on water.