Last lap drama, tyre degradation and much more taken from the 2020 F1 British Grand Prix

The 2020 F1 British Grand Prix threw some twists and turns that were unexpected and creating some very valuable topics to talk about after the exciting race, was won by Lewis Hamilton for a record seventh time.

Tyre degradation in the final laps of the race was a massive factor in the 2020 F1 British Grand Prix. It surely will be the biggest talking point of many teams as they look back on the Silverstone event.

Mercedes Huge Advantage

The Mercedes pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas created a lead in lightning speed from the start and were roughly ten seconds ahead of third-place Max Verstappen for the whole race, evidence that the Mercedes pairing are miles ahead of the pack in terms of sheer pace, lap time and performance.

The start of the season shows that it will most likely be a two-horse race in most races and this race confirmed that, absent any mechanical difficulties, Mercedes are in a class of their own.

Tyre Degradation

On the final two laps of the race, trouble hit for Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, with all three drivers having issues with their tyres.

Blisters were seen on Bottas’ tyres at about lap 45 on a replay as his car entered one of the corners on the Silverstone circuit.

Both Bottas and Sainz complained to their teams about vibrations on their cars which then resulted in both getting punctures nearer to the end of the race.

The two drivers dropped out of the points due to the tyre situation while Lewis Hamilton managed to hold onto his lead by the skin of his teeth with Max Verstappen hunting the Englishman down.

When Hamilton crossed the line Verstappen was jut five seconds behind.

This may see teams go for a two-stop strategy in the next race around Silverstone which will be the race celebrating F1’s 70th Anniversary and will see softer tyres in use.

Renault’s Stellar Performance

Renault had a very good race at the British Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo finished in fourth and Esteban Ocon finished in sixth place.

The pairing were fighting inbetween the McLaren’s with Ocon squabbling hard against Lance Stroll for the lower points position at the start and throughout the entirety of the race.

Those 20 points earned from the race allowed the Renault team to close the gap between themselves, Racing Point, McLaren and Ferrari. The four mid-field teams are only separated by 20 points.

Alex Albon has underperfomed compared to Verstappen his Red Bull teammate
Photo: Formula 1

Alex Albon’s struggles continue

Albon had an awful time at the Northamptonshire race track, dropping to the back of the grid at one point after a tyre change and five-second time penalty for hitting Kevin Magnussen off the circuit in the opening laps of the race.

He finally managed to finish in eighth bu tit was not a day he will recall with any fondness. Albon finds himself in a similar situation to that which Frenchman Pierre Gasly found himself last year.

Albon has managed to score 26 Championship points from the opening four races compared to his Red Bull colleague Max Verstappen’s 52, twice the Thai’s total.

With the second best car on the grid at his disposal, is Albon thought to be experienced enough to challenge Verstappen in the coming races or will Red Bull try to find a replacement for Albon to find a more challenging teammate that will likely push Max to the limit?