Formula One News from the British Grand Prix 2010
Similar to what goes on the racetrack; things have drastically changed off the track as well in a matter of days before the British Grand Prix 2010. While the two McLaren drivers are both extremely eager to win the race on home soil, it is expected that there will be no love lost between them at the much anticipated event. However, both Hamilton and Button have played down the possibility of any animosity between them before or after the race and both drivers have stressed that this will promote healthy competition between the teammates.
The spark needed to reignite the dual has been provided by the President of British Racing Drivers’ Club, Damon Hill when he said that the friendly rivalry between Hamilton and Button will soon boil over on this weekend. Hill believes that Button has what it takes to beat Hamilton as the former driver is more ‘opportunistic, slightly mature and realistic’ about things.
Hamilton, who marginally leads Button in the drivers’ championship will feel the heat after these comments and it would eventually come down to McLaren to strike a balance between the two drivers if they are to avoid what has already happened between Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren three seasons ago. McLaren will also have to make sure that in the heat of their fight, both their drivers don’t take on the role of Vettel and Webber and crash into each other.
Hamilton has also declared that he has cleared the air with Alonso following the incidents at the last grand prix at Valencia. Hamilton, who breached the safety car rules, saw a penalty that barely affected his performance. Alonso termed it as ‘manipulation’ and Hamilton in turn termed Alonso’s comments as sour grapes. Hamilton recently contacted the Spaniard and said that the things between them were ‘cool’ and that Alonso understands that things do get tense in the world of Formula One. This will aid Hamilton in relaxing himself before the anticipated race especially when his main rival is considered to be his own teammate.
However, this does not mean that it’s going to be an easy race for the Brit as Red Bull’s owner Dietrich Mateschitz has revealed that he will not to be pleased with anything less than the world title. Mateschitz believes that given the pace and qualifying performance of the Red Bull team, they should be leading the table instead of having a deficit in both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships. He insisted that the team should now make up for the lost ground and bring the titles home. This would mean that the Red Bull team will now try harder to avoid mistakes which saw them lose a number of races in 2010 from winning positions.
Meanwhile Alonso has said that a new Silverstone track with faster corners will not suit Ferrari. However, he remains optimistic with the new configuration of the car to give it a boost in these high speed corners. Alonso has left other teams with a lot of guess work regarding Ferrari’s pace and competitiveness at the weekend.
Renault’s sporting director Steve Nielsen has also joined the action prior to the British GP, possibly in an attempt to encourage Button to challenge his teammate. Nielsen thinks that Alonso’s return to Renault was a mistake and he should have stayed at McLaren to put up a fight and beat Lewis Hamilton. While implying McLaren’s favouritism towards Hamilton, he has probably sent a message to Button to clinch the upcoming race from his teammate.
The race at Silverstone this weekend is extremely important not only because of the championship table situation, drivers’ expectations and recent events but also because the next three races would take place in four weeks. This means that teams will not have any time to make any significant alternations or make improvements in their cars for the next three races. Any advantage or disadvantage a team will carry into the British GP on this weekend is most likely to continue over the course of the next four weeks.
With continuous developments in the Formula One horizon, it is extremely difficult to predict the outcome at the weekend and it is down to the practice sessions to present a clearer picture.
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