Verstappen claims victory as Mercedes men wilt in the heat at Silverstone
- Dutchman delivers Red Bull’s first victory at Silverstone since 2012
- Hamilton retains lead in the drivers’ championship after second place finish
Max Verstappen delivered Red Bull’s first victory at Silverstone since 2012 on Sunday when he made the most of a superior strategy in sizzling conditions to beat both Mercedes and claim victory in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
It was the Dutchman’s first victory of the season after Mercedes had won all four season-opening races and the ninth of his career.
“I think we did everything perfectly today,” he said. “Thank you.”
His team boss Christian Horner responded with a team in-joke: “That was brilliant ... fully sanitised.”
Verstappen owed his victory to a team decision to start the race on hard compound tyres while his main rivals all launched from the grid on ‘mediums’, the two Mercedes men struggling to manage tyre-wear throughout the race.
Verstappen won by 11.326 seconds ahead of drivers standings leader and six-time champion Lewis Hamilton who passed Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the closing stages. The Finn finished third.
