Max Verstappen Triumphs at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix

Max Verstappen broke the Mercedes’ domination, winning the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in Silverstone. He wouldn’t just defeat the Silver Arrows but also snatch a win in Lewis Hamilton’s backyard. This was the ninth career win for the 22-year-old.

The reigning champion is one of the most successful drivers ever at this circuit, and each time he appears here, Hamilton is the favorite for capturing the trophy. However, today he didn’t have any chances against the inspired Verstappen, who had good tactics and some luck with tyres.

“So far, we have not managed to have a fight with the Mercedes, but we had the right strategy and the tyres are working well for us,” he said following the race. “It was surprising not to have any drop-off, but I am very happy to do that. The softer tyres create more trouble for Mercedes. I am happy now that we qualified on the hards!”

Mercedes’ drivers again experienced troubles with tyres, as both Hamilton and Bottas had issues on the rare wheels. This would significantly damage their chances of reaching the Dutchman, who was already driving well.

The only thing Hamilton could do is to set the fastest lap of the race and jump over Bottas, who was ahead of him for a long time.

The Fin won the pole position yesterday and was hoping to reach the second win of the campaign. That would not only decrease the gap between him and Hamilton, but also provide some mental boost for him and his team.

Eventually, all of his plans turned out to be busts. Both Mercedes had to visit the pit stop much earlier than Verstappen. Red Bull’s driver would build a massive advantage over two Silver Arrows, and that was the key to his win.

He was near Bottas once coming back from the pit, but pretty soon after that, Verstappen took away the leading spot from Mercedes.

“It was very frustrating – starting on pole and finishing third. As a team we were sleeping at some points, Red Bull’s strategy was far better and we have to look at this. There was a chance to keep up with Max, but as soon as I pushed the tyres fall apart,” said disappointed Bottas.

LAP 50/52

Hamilton gets past his team mate and is up to P2

The gap to Verstappen is just over 9 seconds#F170 🇬🇧 #F1 pic.twitter.com/WpTcv5Ti00

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 9, 2020

One other big name was disappointed after this race – Sebastian Vettel. The four-time champion was 12th in the end, furious at his pit wall, and frustrated with his overall performance. According to some sources, the rift between him and Ferrari keeps getting bigger and bigger every day, and many predict that the fantastic driver might not finish the season with the Prancing Horse.

Charles Leclerc was fourth, with a solid performance, passing by several vehicles, but not reaching the podium. Once mentioning that, we need to add that Hamilton’s second place was his 150th podium appearance, which evened him with Michael Schumacher.

Albon took the fifth place, Lance Stroll sixth, Nico Hulkenberg seventh. Ocon, Norris, and Kvyat were all lined up after these guys.

Hamilton is topping the driver’s championship with 107 points. Verstappen took the second place following this triumph and now has 77, surpassing Bottas, who has 73.

The constructors’ competition is not interesting at all, with Mercedes having 180 points, 67 more than the second-placed Red Bull. Racing Point collected 56, and Ferrari one fewer.

The next race is in seven days in Spain, at Circuit de Barcelona, commonly known as Catalunya.