2024 Formula 1 British Grand Prix Highlights

Scuderia Ferrari HP returned from the 2024 Formula 1 British Grand Prix with just eleven points courtesy of Carlos Sainz, who finished fifth and picked up the extra point for the fastest race lap. The way the race played out was the best he could do. Charles Leclerc failed to score, as his aggressive strategy did not pay off, and he finished 14^th.

The race. The start was dry, although rain was expected imminently, and both drivers got away well, Carlos passing Nico Hulkenberg for sixth place and Leclerc doing even better, moving up from 11th to eighth behind Lance Stroll, whom he passed on lap 14. The first drops arrived on lap 15, but the rain was too heavy to justify fitting Intermediate tyres. Still, four laps later, it increased in intensity. Charles, who had been struggling on his Mediums, came in for Intermediates, a decision he made in conjunction with the team, as is usually the case in these conditions. Sainz opted to stay out, which worked out for him as the rain eased in minutes, and those on slicks resumed normal lap times. At the same time, Leclerc was struggling on the Intermediates as the track was barely damp, so when the entire field came in for Intermediates, he also had to pit for a second set. That additional stop effectively ended any hopes he might have had to finish in the points. Carlos managed to move up to fourth place after George Russell retired, even though he was passed by Oscar Piastri before pitting again for slicks, which dropped him to fifth. The Spaniard was now on the Hard tyre and maintaining a good pace, pulling out a comfortable gap to Hulkenberg, which became big enough for the team to bring him for a set of Softs to go for the fastest race lap, which he did in 1’28”293. Scuderia Ferrari HP is still second in the constructors’ classification, Charles stays third in the drivers’ classification, while Carlos is still fourth, just four points behind his teammates.

A break, then Hungary. The team will use the two-week break before the next round. They will analyse all the data from the past few races to react to the recent drop in performance. The season resumes with the Hungarian Grand Prix from 19-21 July.

Carlos Sainz #55

It was a very solid performance today, and we maximised the result with P5 and the fastest lap. We executed a difficult race well under mixed conditions, and I was able to close the gap to the cars ahead. Unfortunately, when the track dried, we lacked a bit of pace and had to settle for fifth. We still need to step forward to close the gap to our rivals. We now have some time off to regroup and come back stronger in Hungary.

Charles Leclerc #16

We had a good start today, but unfortunately, the race didn’t play out as we hoped on my side. The rain increased from lap 15, and we thought it would get more robust, so we pitted for Inters. It may have been an aggressive choice, but it seemed that it could be worth it at the time, considering the feeling I had in the car and our weather prediction. Unfortunately, the rain was only strong enough for those tyres a few laps later, and my tyres had worn down by then, so we had to make another stop. It went wrong, and we must review our race and ensure we can maximise every opportunity in the future.

Frédéric Vasseur – Team Principal

It wasn’t an easy weekend, but today Carlos drove a strong race as he had a good start, was fast in the wet, and his final position was the best he could achieve today, including the additional point for the fastest lap. On Charles’ side, it was a bit more difficult as we gambled, and the strategy didn’t pay off. He had a great start and moved up three places, but then he lost some time getting past Lance Stroll. So, when both Mercedes went off the track at turn 1 in the rain, we agreed to bring Charles in for Intermediates, as an aggressive strategy was the only way to try and move him up the order. As we saw, it didn’t pay off and probably cost us a P6. This weekend, we learned a lot about the car and made a good step forward, which is encouraging for the rest of the season. We must build on what we have learned and apply it to the next two races. Everyone in the team, including me, eagerly looks forward to the next races and is determined to achieve good results.

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