F1 2020: Starting grid and race preview for 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas will be hoping to make up for lost ground after qualifying on pole for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix this weekend.
Following the disappointment of a late puncture that saw him slip from second to 11th at the British Grand Prix and fall 30 points adrift of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings, Bottas is primed to bounce back in part two of the Silverstone double-header.
In the same week he signed a Mercedes contract extension for the 2021 season, the Finn outpaced his team-mate to ensure he will start from the front of the grid on Sunday.
After a dramatic finale last weekend, the two Silver Arrows appear destined to fight it out for glory again.
WHAT HAPPENED IN QUALIFYING
Hamilton was on provisional pole and slightly improved on his time on his final lap. Unfortunately for him Bottas went even quicker and he had to settle for second.
Standing in for Sergio Perez due to the Mexican testing positive for coronavirus, Nico Hulkenberg guided his Racing Point to third after splitting the Mercedes in Q2.
It was another day to forget for Ferrari. They were outqualified by AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and saw Sebastian Vettel fail to get out of Q2; the four-time champion will start 11th after Esteban Ocon received a three-place grid penalty for blocking George Russell in Q1.
And here's how Ocon picked up that grid pen #F170 #F1 pic.twitter.com/RADGU0jMeo
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 8, 2020
THE STARTING GRID
1. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), 2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Nico Hulkenberg (Racing Point), 4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault), 6. Lance Stroll (Racing Point)
7. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), 8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
9. Alex Albon (Red Bull), 10. Lando Norris (McLaren)
11. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), 12. Carlos Sainz (McLaren)
13. Romain Grosjean (Haas), 14. Esteban Ocon (Renault)
15. George Russell (Williams), 16. Daniil Kvyat (AlphaTauri)
17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 18. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
19. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo), 20. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
70th ANNIVERSARY GRAND PRIX TALKING POINTS
Much of the discussion this weekend has centred on Racing Point's 15-point sanction and €400,000 fine after an FIA investigation found their rear brake ducts were designed by Mercedes, breaching the sporting regulations.
The team maintain their innocence and intend to appeal the decision, while four rival squads – Renault, who lodged the initial complaint, McLaren, Williams and Ferrari – have also challenged the outcome.
Racing Point will continue to use the parts that earned the punishment so a strong display at Silverstone, something Hulkenberg will be desperate to produce having lost his seat this season, will cause further discontent in the paddock.
Verstappen starting the race on the hard compound means he will be running a significantly different strategy to the leading Mercedes.
WHAT THE DRIVERS SAID
Valtteri Bottas (pole): "To be honest I think one stop could be quite difficult here with the compounds we have here this weekend. So I think things are going to be a bit different than last weekend in terms of strategy. I'm sure the guys will be looking at all the options overnight and obviously myself the expectation tomorrow, there's nothing more than to win the race when you start from pole."
Lewis Hamilton (2nd): "At the end of the day we're drivers, we go out and continue to push. I improved over this weekend also but Valtteri did a better job at the end. I don't feel any way about it, we've got a long race tomorrow and I’ll be giving everything I can to try and beat this guy."
Nico Hulkenberg (3rd): "To be honest it's very difficult [to get a podium] and challenging circumstances, but I know I have a fast car beneath me, so it's just trying to make sure to do everything right. Obviously starting, lap one, it's going to be also new for me. But I think I'll just try to get it right with all the experience I have and then we'll race. I'll try not to think too much, just keep my head down and have a good race."
Max Verstappen (4th): "I just hope that I can have a clean start on the hard tyre. The hard tyre was last weekend's medium, so I don't think it will be too bad compared to what [the rest of the top 10] are starting on. Of course, you might lose a little with the initial launch, but I think it will be better for the first stint. Of course, it depends also if there are safety cars or not. So we just have to wait and see, but at least it's different to what other people are doing around me, and we'll see if we can do a better job."
Sebastian Vettel (11th): "We tried a lot of things and I was happy with my laps, but I don't think that there was any more to get out of the car today. I need more grip to go faster. I must congratulate my engineers for improving the car compared to last weekend, but if you look at the stopwatch there is no difference. It seems we are stuck and of course it is disappointing to be in 12th [before Ocon's penalty] with that gap between our two cars. We are where we are for a reason, we are just not fast enough. It will be difficult tomorrow to fight for points but I will do my best."
Esteban Ocon (14th): "It's a disappointing session overall as I felt my lap in Q2 was pretty good. The gap to Daniel [Ricciardo] was clearly big in that session so we need to investigate why. It could be something we just didn't understand entirely on the car after yesterday. The car felt very capable today with a bit more in hand. I just couldn't carry the speed when I needed to. We also have the incident with George [Russell]. It was no one on track's fault, but it's something we should have managed better."
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 88
2. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 58
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 52
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 36
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 33
Constructors
1. Mercedes 146
2. Red Bull 78
3. McLaren 51
4. Ferrari 43
5. Renault 32