F1 doesn't have a safety car problem. It has a rules problem
The confusion at the end of the British GP was a glitch. The slow finish itself is a rule F1 needs to change
Race results for the 2019 British Grand Prix. Contains full classification. Click for full race report
Photo: Motorsport Images
Lewis Hamilton waved a Union Jack from the podium in front of his home Silverstone crowd after taking victory in the British Grand Prix, ahead of an unlucky Valtteri Bottas.
Pole-sitter Bottas had taken the lead from the start, but then pitted, leaving Hamilton in the lead. The British driver then benefitted from a safety car to stop with minimal time loss and retain first place.
From then on, the Finn was out of the running for victory. To hammer his win home, Hamilton set the fastest lap of the grand prix with tyres that had covered more than half the race.
Read Mark Hughes’ full British Grand Prix race report
But the most dramatic story of the race was the spectacular end to a long-running battle between Red Bull and Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel slammed into the back of Max Verstappen, sending the third- and fourth-placed drivers pirouetting into the gravel
Verstappen had just passed Vettel for third place and the Ferrari driver was looking for a way back, when he misjudged his braking, locked his wheels and skidded into the Red Bull.
By the time both drivers recovered, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly had passed them to take third and fourth place. Verstappen finished fifth, while Vettel brought his damaged Ferrari home in 16th, after a nose change and ten-second penalty for causing the collision.
Read the full story in Mark Hughes’ race report
The full race results are below.
| Position | Driver | Team |
Time |
Points |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1hr 21min 08.452sec | 26* |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | +24.928sec | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +30.117sec | 15 |
| 4 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | +34.692sec | 12 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +39.458sec | 10 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren | +53.639sec | 8 |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | +54.401sec | 6 |
| 8 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo | +1min 5.540sec | 4 |
| 9 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | +1min 6.720sec | 2 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | +1min 12.733sec | 1 |
| 11 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1min 14.281sec | 0 |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | +1min 15.617sec | 0 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | +1min 21.086sec | 0 |
| 14 | George Russell | Williams | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | Robert Kubica | Williams | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | +1 lap | 0 |
| DNF | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 0 | |
| DNF | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 0 | |
| DNF | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 0 |
*Includes point for fastest lap
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 223 |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 184 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 136 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 123 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 120 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | 55 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren | 38 |
| 8 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo | 25 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 22 |
| 10 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 22 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 17 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 14 |
| 13 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 13 |
| 14 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 12 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | 7 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 6 |
| 17 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 2 |
| 18 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1 |
| 19 | George Russell | Williams | 0 |
| 20 | Robert Kubica | Williams | 0 |
The confusion at the end of the British GP was a glitch. The slow finish itself is a rule F1 needs to change
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