A typically unpredictable British Summer’s day led to a typically predictable Lewis Hamilton win at Silverstone.
From the moment the heavens opened half an hour before the race anything other than the driver of car No. 44 standing on the top step would have been a surprise.
And that was how it proved as Hamilton stormed off into an early lead and held enough in hand to take his third straight home win and fourth in total.
Was he the absolute fastest driver on the day? On the balance of proceedings, the answer is only just but it wasn’t a typical race.
The charm of a bumpy, old-school circuit like Silverstone meant some parts of the circuit were slower to dry than others and it was up to the drivers to make the difference in skill and bravery.
Even Hamilton himself wasn’t immune as he joined the long list of drivers to scurry across the run-off area at the trickiest spot of Abbey, but his consistency proved the difference.
Just when Max Verstappen and Nico Rosberg would put in a lap much faster than the world champion, he would hit back with the fastest lap ensuring no-one got near enough to challenge.
But what the British Grand Prix did highlight is a battle that could well carry on for years to come.
Verstappen drove a race far beyond his years, balancing his obvious exuberance of youth with a feel and skill of a driver 10 years his elder.
He was there to take advantage of Red Bull’s stronger package in the wet conditions proving, while he is still a little way off the wet-weather abilities of Hamilton, he is faster than Nico Rosberg.
His pass on the German around the outside of Becketts will almost certainly be a contender for ‘overtake of the season’ and when it was time to switch to slicks he proved much better at adapting to the track conditions.
Ultimately the power of the Silver Arrow in the dry proved too much as he would relinquish second back to Rosberg at Stowe, but his defence over several laps also highlighted how he is the complete package.
Certainly, he is now putting his teammate in the shade with a 4-2 record against Daniel Ricciardo in races since joining Red Bull.
Add to that his first qualifying success over the Australian, traditionally Ricciardo’s strength, and how long could it be until Max is considered the team’s No. 1?
Of course, Ricciardo will point to the Virtual Safety Car which did indeed put him further back behind Sergio Perez, but in the few racing laps before the race was neutralised, the Dutchman seemed much more the aggressor.
The final factor in placing Verstappen as Mercedes’ biggest threat is assessing just where Ferrari really stand.
The three tracks prior to Silverstone had seen the Scuderia as the clear ‘best of the rest’, but on a circuit that demands everything the team was left lagging.
Kimi Raikkonen managing to pass Sergio Perez for fifth late on was seen as a result of sorts but that was largely thanks to the Mexican damaging his tyres in a high-speed spin at Abbey.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel, usually the man come rain or shine, went nowhere only finishing ninth.
The next two venues at Hungaroring and Hockenheim require similar demands to Silverstone, so if Ferrari is to finish second in the Constructors’ standings they need to show better form in relation to Red Bull and stop wracking up gearbox penalties.
In the midfield, massive kudos has to go to Force India who are quickly establishing themselves as the fourth best team.
Williams’ strategy and wet-weather weaknesses once again saw them fail to meet expectations, while Perez remained the opportunist he is, moving up to fourth during the VSC, with teammate Nico Hulkenberg also producing an aggressive drive as they finished sixth and seventh.
Their tag as low downforce specialists could well start fading with similar results in upcoming races and will leave Williams scratching their heads wondering where it has gone so badly wrong.
To finish, we must return to Lewis Hamilton, the star of Silverstone once again.
With the outcome of the stewards investigation into Rosberg’s radio messages late on still ongoing at the time of writing, the Briton sits only four points behind the German with two important races to come.
Mercedes will also feel relieved to get through a weekend without much controversy between their two men. But with Red Bull set to be on their tails once again in Budapest, managing the internal threat from their drivers will be easy compared to that posed by some kid called Max.
