© Getty ImagesThe Highs and Lows of SilverstoneA look back at the best and worst from the Team at the always action-packed British Grand Prix
Let’snotbeataroundthebush,theTeamlovestheBritishGrandPrixandSilverstone.It’sonly30minutesfromtheirMiltonKeynesHQ,whichmakesittheTeam’ssecondhomeraceoftheseason.Andlet’snotforget,it’salwaysanexhilaratingracewithplentyofaction.Inthe20yearsOracleRedBullRacinghasbeencompetingatSilverstonetheyhavewalkedawaywith14trophies,includingsixwinners’gongs.
Max has won at Silverstone twice, but only once at the British Grand Prix. The other win came in the COVID-19-hit season of 2020, when he won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
Checo collected a P2 trophy in 2022 and will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend at the Northamptonshire-based track. However, before we think about this weekend, let’s look back and the good, the bad and the ugly from the Team’s efforts at the British Grand Prix…
LastHomeRaceDisappointment
During his last season in Formula One, David Coulthard would’ve hoped to stand on the podium for his final home race in 2008. The Scotsman had stood on the rostrum in 1995 for Williams before winning the British Grand Prix back-to-back in 1999 and 2000, when driving for McLaren. Now a Bull, he was hoping to stand on the podium again.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. Race day saw a wet track and on the opening lap, DC and Sebastian Vettel collided and both ended up in the gravel. Both drivers were stranded and unable to continue, ending DC’s hope of a final home race podium.
The first Oracle Red Bull Racing era of dominance saw Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel rule the British Grand Prix. Over five seasons, starting in 2009, the Bulls took a total of eight trophies away from Silverstone. It started in the best possible way with Seb winning and claiming the first hattrick of his career. Mark came in just behind his teammate claiming a one-two finish and maximum points for the Team. A year later, Mark took the win. At the end of 2013, Mark had stood on the podium five times – including two wins – and Seb had collected three trophies, one in each podium spot.
In Max’s first season for the Team, he arrived at Silverstone off the back of a P2 in Austria, and he qualified in P3 behind the Mercedes’ of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Max was battling with Rosberg throughout the race and when Rosberg was given a 10-second penalty for ‘illegal radio instructions’, Max moved into P2 claiming his third podium for the Team, and his first at Silverstone.
We all remember the crash at Silverstone the ignited the battle between Max and Lewis Hamilton for the 2021 Drivers’ Championship.
Max started on pole and was holding the lead until Hamilton went for an overtake on the high-speed run to Copse. Hamilton was inside of Max and as he turned in, the Mercedes clipped the right-rear wheel of the RB16B and the Bull span off at high speed, the gravel hardly slowing Max down and he hit the wall in a huge impact, destroying the left-hand side of the car. Max was able to climb out of the car but was taken to a local hospital for further precautionary tests. It was reported that Max hit the barrier with an impact registering 51G.
The fallout of the crash saw ugly scenes amongst fans, but it set the championship alight which went down to the wire.
It seems strange to say, but Max has only won the British Grand Prix once. And it came as recently as last year. But he did it in style by claiming a hat-trick in the process. He qualified on pole, 0.241s ahead of Lando Norris in P2. In the race, Norris was able to get in front of Max for four laps (costing Max a grand slam), but once Max got back in front there was no looking back. He took the win and was also able claim the fastest lap on lap 42, on tyres that were ten laps old!
Max and Checo will take to the track on Friday at 12:30 (track time) for Free Practice One. Make sure head over to the Race Hub for all the exclusive news, reactions, photos and videos for the British Grand Prix.
