Formula One is exploring the possibility of restoring one of the missing Middle East races, with a decision deadline set for August’s summer break. April’s races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled earlier in the year due to a military conflict in the region. However, the conflict is set to settle, making it possible for one of the two races to be rescheduled for later in the year. Realistically, this would probably be the Bahrain Grand Prix between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grand Prix in September. To make this possible, the decision would have to be made before the summer break to allow teams time to prepare logistics.
Christian Horner made his first appearance in the F1 paddock since his abrupt termination from Red Bull last year. The former Red Bull team principal has been linked to many teams as part of a potential return to Formula One, including Alpine, which has been seeking a buyer. When asked about the speculation surrounding the next chapter in his career, he dismissed the rumours, saying he was “just here to enjoy the racing.” His appearance at the British Grand Prix comes following the announcement of his upcoming memoir titled Drive, which will be released in mid-October.
Lewis Hamilton set the time to beat in the British Grand Prix weekend’s only free practice session. The teams wasted no time getting their cars on track, aiming to perfect their setups before afternoon sprint qualifying. The drivers were pushing hard to maximize their sessions. Lando Norris had a lap time deleted for track limits and was forced to abort another lap. Teammate Oscar Piastri had a scary moment, spinning at Becketts and narrowly avoiding the barrier. Kimi Antonelli complained early on about energy deployment, but eventually settled in to go second fastest ahead of Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Piastri rounded out the top five, ahead of Max Verstappen and Norris.
Lewis Hamilton continued his strong performance at his home race, earning the sprint pole position on Friday afternoon’s sprint qualifying. The Brit was quickest in all three qualifying sessions. Lando Norris was lucky to advance to SQ3, beating Pierre Gasly by less than a tenth of a second. Kimi Antonelli was the only driver to get close to Hamilton’s pace in SQ3, losing out by only 0.011s to the seven-time World Champion. Max Verstappen secured the third grid slot alongside Charles Leclerc.
Kimi Antonelli managed to win the sprint race from second on the grid in the sprint race. Antonelli had a strong start and immediately started to apply pressure to Lewis Hamilton, while George Russell and Max Verstappen both dropped multiple positions off the start. The Italian did face some early threats from Lando Norris, but fended him off. The Hangar Straight was a popular overtaking location, as many drivers ran out of battery on the long straight. Hamilton was one of those drivers, losing the lead on lap 8. Click here to read a full summary of the sprint race.
Kimi Antonelli continued his strong performance to earn pole position for the grand prix. Isack Hadjar set the pace in Q1, while George Russell was lucky to escape any serious damage after nearly hitting the barrier. He ran wide at Luffield and slowly skidded through the gravel, tapping the barrier with his front wing. Antonelli was quickest in Q2, while Max Verstappen complained about the lacklustre performance of his Red Bull. Antonelli continued that pace in Q3 to earn pole position ahead of the two Ferraris led by Charles Leclerc. Teammate Russell was P4 ahead of Hadjar on the second row, and Lando Norris, who had only just scraped through into Q3, earned a spot alongside Verstappen on the third row.
On race day, it was Charles Leclerc who would end the weekend on a high with his first race victory in 2024. Leclerc took the early lead off the line as Kimi Antonelli struggled for grip during the second phase of the start. Lewis Hamilton also got by the Mercedes driver to make it an early Ferrari 1-2, although he was nabbed for a jump start and forced to serve a five-second penalty at his first pit stop. This put him into a battle with George Russell in the middle portion of the race. Antonelli suffered a late mechanical failure when the brake duct on his front wheel broke loose and became stuck on the suspension. After a couple of pit stops, the team was able to free the debris, but this left him well out of contention for the victory and, to make matters worse, he was given a five-second penalty for track limits due to the understeer from the damage. He stayed out to try and cling onto points. Unfortunately for him, Max Verstappen suffered an unusual spin at Stowe with only a few laps remaining, bringing out the safety car and bunching the field. Hamilton, who was running in P2, pitted for tyres, losing a position to Russell, with the hope that the race would resume. Despite a software glitch incorrectly saying that there would be a one-lap shootout at the end, the race ended under the safety car. Leclerc crossed the line in the lead, ahead of Russell and Hamilton. Antonelli did not hold onto a points-scoring position, dropping to P15 after the penalty was applied. Click here to read a full summary of the grand prix.
Next on the schedule is a trip to the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix on the weekend of July 19.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
