Hamilton Victory
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 victory at Silverstone was, to no small extent, due to the compatibility of the McLaren team’s car and the Bridgestone F1 tyre. The McLaren places a greater load on its tyres than the Ferraris. This enabled the Bridgestone tyres to reach the optimum racing temperature rapidly, which is a problem with the wet-weather tyres. As the weather turned increasingly wet the combination gave Hamilton a crucial advantage over his rivals.
Kimi Raikkonen started well, but changed to intermediate tyres in the early pit stop. When the rain came Raikkonen’s challenge was, effectively, ended. Hamilton’s victory leaves him tied for first place in the drivers’ championship, alongside the two Ferrari team-mates, Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. Hamilton will hope to continue his winning form at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on July 20th.
Number: Z8037079
Reg: NKF419
