British GP Preview: Verstappen and Leclerc will race for maiden victory in Silverstone, but could Hamilton get his ninth win at home?

Max Verstappen added another win with the Canadian Grand Prix once more. Carlos Sainz had a crucial comeback finish, while Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium for the second time this year.

Now it’s time for the British Grand Prix. The tenth race of the F1 2022 season will take place in Silverstone, Great Britain. The Silverstone Circuit initially hosted a race in 1950 and has continued to do so every year since.

Last year Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton engaged in a furious duel. The Dutch driver collided with Hamilton at the Copse corner and was forced to retire while Hamilton won the race.

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Hamilton going for the 9th win?

The Brackley-based team has planned significant car improvements for the upcoming race at Silverstone because it believes it is now making some headway in maximising the capabilities of the W13.

With modifications made at the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes achieved a breakthrough in resolving its porpoising issue. However, it has been discovered that for its car to perform at its peak, it must run extremely close to the ground, which has proven problematic on uneven courses.

Lewis Hamilton will be racing on his home turf, and he is the most successful F1 driver on the Silverstone circuit. He has eight victories under his belt, and after winning the British GP here last year, he will be hoping for the ninth victory.

Can Ferrari compete with Red Bull?
When pure pace counts, Leclerc has earned six pole positions this season compared to Verstappen’s two. Even with four straight pole positions between the Grands Prix in Miami and Azerbaijan, the Ferrari star was unable to prevail in any of those races owing to unfavourable circumstances.

Due to technical issues in Baku and Barcelona, the Monegasque was forced to retire from two races. Additionally, Ferrari’s strategy blunder in Monaco caused Leclerc to finish fourth when he appeared to be in a position to win his home Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s recovery has been astonishing, considering that after just three races, he was nearly 50 points behind Leclerc. However, the two retirements in Bahrain and Australia at the beginning of the season were just a bad start.

Silverstone goes to court
Aggregate Industries, the business that paved the racetrack in 2018, is being sued by the British GP F1 circuit’s organisers. Following the abnormalities on the track during the race that year, they sued the business for £8 million. After the race, some drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, commented on the bad track conditions.

Aggregate Industries was paid £2 million by the organisers to resurface the track. Still, given the work’s problems, the business may have to pay more. The Formula 1 race saw no noteworthy issues.

However, five incidents occurred during the 2018 MotoGP there because of the bad surface. As a result, the British GP’s contract with FIM, the motorcycle racing organisation, was terminated. The Silverstone event planners lost a staggering £3.5 million as a result.

Following the disaster, Formula 1 hired Tarmac Trading Ltd to build the circuit starting in 2019.