The Formula One calendar moves on to Britain this weekend, with Lewis Hamilton keen to get back to winning ways after being out-performed by his team mate Nico Rosberg. The German has finished above his English team-mate in the last three races and returns to the circuit where he was victorious in 2013, while Hamilton will hope to drive in the manner that he was at the beginning of the year. The Constructors’ Championship is pretty much a foregone conclusion, with Mercedes holding a comfortable lead over the rest of the field. In addition, Rosberg and Hamilton both have clear water between them and Daniel Ricciardo, who looks the most likely person to break the duopoly. The two compatriots have had a frosty relationship at times since Hamilton joined the German outfit at the beginning of the season, but have so far managed to maintain consistently excellent levels of performance, while Ferrari, McLaren and last year’s victors Red Bull have fallen by the wayside.

 

This season has seen a notable shift in the balance of power. Sebastian Vettel has not been able to replicate the performances that saw him take the Formula One Championship for the last four years. He has been overtaken by new boy Daniel Ricciardo, who replaced fellow Aussie Mark Webber and moved from feeder team Toro Rosso after some promising races and has continued to build on his considerable potential, securing a victory in Montreal and podium finishes in the previous two races in Spain and Monaco. Ferrari’s drivers have also experienced contrasting fortunes, with Fernando Alonso still among the chasing pack, while 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen has been poor and has failed to recapture the form he displayed in his previous spell with the Italian car-making giants. Another young driver Valtteri Bottas has also shown up a more experienced driver, with the Finn achieving his first podium finish of the season in Austria last time out for Williams. His team-mate Felipe Massa has quite hit the heights of his Ferrari days, with his best finish being fourth in Austria. McLaren outcast Sergio Perez has also found the going tough at Force India, finding himself in the shadow of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, who is on course to finish in the top six, which is a magnificent achievement for a team that has traditionally been seen as one of the also-rans. Rookie Kevin Magnussen has enjoyed an encouraging start to his F1 career, having claimed 29 points so far, including a podium finish in his very first outing, in Australia. Daniil Kyvat, the youngest in the paddock at just 20, has also fared admirably for an uncompetitive team, recording top ten finishes in Australia, Malaysia and China. However, he has retired in his last three races.

 

The Northamptonshire race is sure to be eventful, and with five previous winners in the field this time around, it will be unpredictable.

 

Alex Bowmer

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