Well, wasn’t that absolutely mental?! The Mercedes race crew and fans alike would have probably bitten their nails right down to the skin (or bone probably). A race that should have been an easy 1-2 for Mercedes ended 1-11, courtesy of tire trouble.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas had their hearts in their mouths during the last few laps at Silverstone, as their front left tires developed some serious blisters.

These would later develop into punctures, nearly sabotaging the whole race for Mercedes.

Between the two, Bottas was the one who lost out big time, dropping from second to eleventh! However, Hamilton nearly lost out on a race win! His tire had given up on him just as he was on the last lap of the race.

For the 6-time World Champion, that lap would have felt like an absolute eternity. Luckily for him, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had gone into the pits the lap before, to try and get the extra point after he passed a flailing Bottas who was sliding down the grid.

Lewis Hamilton crosses the checkered flag in a (nearly) three-wheeled Mercedes

Just when you’d have dismissed the race as a drab affair, the Silverstone track (and the Mercedes tires) decided to throw fans a curveball. Up until all the pandemonium unfolded, the Mercedes cars were miles ahead of anyone else.

With only two laps to go, no one in their wildest dreams saw this twist coming. Both Mercedes drivers were aware of the blistering on their tires by that point. However, they were so far ahead that they were hoping to cruise to the finish line.

Bottas was the first to fall, and just as people were trying to process that incident, a similar puncture occurred in Hamilton’s ride. It was like a gigantic dismissal to the people who say Formula 1 is boring.

Somehow, Lewis prevented his tire from getting absolutely obliterated over the course of that lap. Ultimately, what matters for him and the team is that P1 finish. Or rather, more importantly, the 25 points that come with it.

Despite Bottas’ heartbreak, Lewis’ win keeps Mercedes on top of the Constructors’ Championship chart. As for Hamilton, he increases his lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings by 30 points.

Sure, he would have envisaged himself crossing the finish line in a very different manner. But if you told him he’d be winning the British Grand Prix and that he’d open up a 30 point gap to Bottas, he’d take that any day of the week.

SOURCE- Formula 1- Twitter