Zoom Very difficult conditions today at Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton won the ninth round of the championship from fourth on the grid after using Bridgestone’s wet weather Potenza tyres in the difficult and variable conditions of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The McLaren driver won his home event by over a minute from Nick Heidfeld, who also used only Bridgestone’s wet weather tyres during the race. Rubens Barrichello made his 62nd appearance on the podium by finishing in third position, making use of the extreme wet tyres as well as the wets during the race.

Only the top three drivers finished on the lead lap after a very eventful race. Rain was a frequent factor meaning that track conditions changed lap by lap. Most of the drivers were caught out at least once during the course of the race and spins were numerous. Neither compound of Bridgestone’s dry grooved tyres was used today.

Many different tyre strategies were employed during the race, and the fastest lap, a 1:32.150s, was set by Kimi Raikkonen on lap 18.

Hirohide Hamashima, Tyre Development Director
“I am very happy with the good performance we saw from both of our wet tyres today, and the data and feedback we have gained will help us develop our next generation of wet weather tyres for Formula One, and ultimately for our road tyres too. The variable weather conditions were very valuable to us for this data collection, and also helped to provide a very enjoyable race for spectators."

"Congratulations to Lewis for winning his home grand prix. This win came from correct tyre choice and car set-up, as well as patience in the cockpit. This was a very eventful race and there were many good performances from drivers. We now have three drivers on the same points as we enter the second half of the year. The racing season starts now!”

E.A. © CAPSIS International