British Grand Prix team ratings - Mercedes sublime, Haas in turmoil

Column

15 July 2019 at 19:04

Mercedes regained supremacy during the British Grand Prix after a difficult race in Austria. Haas was in turmoil before a wheel was turned, and it just got worse for them as they moved through the weekend. And in the middle of the field, the teams picked up plenty of mixed results. We've given an assessment of five teams after Silverstone. 

Mercedes - A

Toto Wolff would've had some sweats during the opening fives laps when Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas exchanged places on the track. Both drivers raced well. Mercedes raised a few eyebrows during the closing stages of the race when the pit crew came out for first Bottas and then Hamilton. But The Finn's pitstop worked well and Hamilton's decision to turn down his stop was sensible. A 51st 1-2 for the Silver Arrows. 

Ferrari - C

A bit meh really. Charles Leclerc picked up his fifth podium of his Formula 1 career, but it's unlikely that would have happened if the crash hadn't happened. Their tactics to put the cars on the soft tyres for the start of the race didn't really work out. In the end, Vettel finished behind both Williams drivers. 

Red Bull - B

Red Bull really have found something. They're taking the fight to Ferrari directly now and the battles between the two chassis demonstrated the Bulls can beat Ferrari. If Pierre Gasly had started the season in better form, then they may well have been ahead already. The gap now stands at 52 points. The weekend could have been better for them, but they'll be pleased with a P4 and P5. 

SportPesa Racing Point - C

The result could've been so much better for SportPesa Racing Point. Sergio Perez had a bit of contact after the safety car. It virtually put him out of the running. A bit of bad luck for a team trying to celebrate their home race at Silverstone. Lance Stroll produced a great drive with his usual overtakes, helping SportPesa to raise money for charity in the process. He started in P18 but finished in P13. 

Haas - U (ungraded)

Where do you start? Rich Energy...Grosjean's pitlane crash...mistakes in practice and quali...teammate collision...! A disastrous weekend for Haas, it really couldn't have gone any worse. But we've seen similar things from Romain Grosjean in the past, and how long is Haas going to give him? He's not the only reason the team are struggling, but he's on thin ice now.  

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