Lewis Hamilton sent British GP miracle hope thanks to unique Silverstone factor

08 July 2023 , 05:00

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It's been more than 18 months since Lewis Hamilton last won an F1 race (Image: Getty Images)

If anyone can end the Red Bull winning streak at this weekend's British Grand Prix, it's Lewis Hamilton.

That's the view of David Coulthard ahead of a Silverstone race which Max Verstappen is expected to comfortably win. But the Scot refuses to rule out the prospect of the Union Flag flying above the top step of the podium on Sunday afternoon.

Red Bull have won every race so far this year, Verstappen taking seven of those nine victories. In contrast, Mercedes have struggled for pace and consistency and finished seventh and eighth last weekend in Austria.

Not that it rules either Hamilton or George Russell out of contention this weekend in Coulthard's eyes. "I think Lewis always ups his game for the British Grand Prix, he's had some incredible performances there over the years," he told Mirror Sport.

"George has shown himself to be a very fast racing driver, able to match and even beat Lewis on occasion. They're both worthy of a good crack at it this weekend.

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"The British Grand Prix is arguably one of the biggest Grands Prix of the year – I know there's only the same amount of points for all races, but the British GP sits alongside Monaco, Monza and Belgium in terms of the history. They're super important."

Some Formula 1 fans have complained about a lack of competition at the front this year given Red Bull's fearsome form. But, behind Verstappen, Coulthard pointed out that there is a tightly-contested battle raging on between several teams for the honour of finishing the year as runners-up.

Lewis Hamilton sent British GP miracle hope thanks to unique Silverstone factor

Max Verstappen is expected to extend his winning streak (Getty Images)

He added: "It's the closest Formula 1 has been in a long time actually, in terms of front to rear of a grid. Squeezing in amongst it, you see the car swap their relative performance from weekend to weekend. I think the constant clearly has been Red Bull, but if we look at qualifying [in Austria] it was less than half-a-tenth [between Verstappen and Leclerc].

"Had Max not done the final run there he wouldn't have got pole. So it shows that on one lap performance people can get close, but not yet on the longer run performance. Even if the Red Bulls are only a couple of tenths a lap quicker in race runs, that is a huge amount over 10 laps and beyond.

"I get that the general watching public want to tune in and be entertained by close racing. But, of course, the Grand Prix teams don't want close racing! When Mercedes were winning repeatedly over a period of time, if you were a Mercedes fan or a Lewis fan it was brilliant.

"The truth is, nothing lasts forever – whether it's Formula 1, football or whatever, there is always a transition. Right now, it's Red Bull's time and they're there as targets for the others to develop their cars and outperform them. Let's hope that [Mercedes] can make the right decisions and develop the package."

A Red Bull win would still be a victory for Britain, given the team's factory is 20 miles away in Milton Keynes. In the bigger picture, seven of the 10 teams are primarily based in the UK while there are also four British drivers currently on the grid.

And that, Coulthard insists, is something that we should shout about loudly and proudly. He said: "I think Lando [Norris] is a brilliant driver. In Britain, Lewis is the elder statesman in many ways, but we've got George, Lando and also Alex Albon who looks recharged in the Williams.

Hamilton, Russell and Norris all fly the Union Flag on the F1 grid (Getty Images)

"I think we'll be well served for the next decade or so with the great British drivers that we have, and I'm sure there will be one or two up and coming as well. Britain is the home of Formula 1 and produces a lot more drivers than any other nationality.

"That's not a gift to Britain – just a reflection of the talent that comes out of this country. I've often said we should celebrate it a lot more, American style. But we Brits are always a little bit too modest to go, 'Hey, how brilliant are we?'"