Hamilton dedicated his victory to Billy Monger, the 18-year-old who lost both legs in a crash at Donington Park in April. Monger, who had been driving in British F4, spent the weekend as Hamilton’s guest.
A curious choice of countries
There was no shortage of stardust in the paddock yesterday, and the list of celebrities sent out by Formula One also detailed their nationality. It said that Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, the Hollywood A-listers, were unsurprisingly from the United States while Laura and Jason Kenny, the golden couple of British cycling, were marked as from Great Britain. The British astronaut Tim Peake, however, was down as hailing from “Red Bull”, and George North, fresh from the Lions’ tour to New Zealand, was apparently British no longer. He was marked as being from Wales.
Scrum on the grid
All eyes were on Lewis Hamilton on a packed starting grid. His car was surrounded by crowds two or three deep, with people desperate to get a photo of the triple world champion. One got a little bit too close for comfort, however, and as Hamilton sat in his car, he demanded that Angela Cullen, his physio, move the supporters along.
Unfortunate timing for Brundle
It should have been a weekend of celebration for Martin Brundle, the Sky Sports commentator who was marking 20 years of his “grid walk” interviews. However, the 58-year-old was taken ill just as a video tribute to him was being played. He left the track and Paul di Resta stepped in to cover his duties. Sky confirmed later that he had a stomach bug and will make a full recovery, so he should be able to collect the trophy that Ross Brawn was carrying around for him.
Luckless Palmer hits new low
Jolyon Palmer said at the start of the weekend that things were starting to click. He needed them to after a torrid season to date. But his fortunes did not improve at his home grand prix and he was out before the race began, reporting issues with his brakes on the formation lap. Question marks over his future at Renault remain.
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Let it rain
There had been talk of the heavens opening over Silverstone. Clearly the weather gods had other ideas, though, perhaps trying to keep things simple for the victorious home boy. They appeared to care less about the departing supporters, however, as the rain poured down within an hour of the chequered flag.