Formula 1: Dramatic twist at Silverstone!

Silverstone is the home for F1 in England and England is the home for several F1 teams on the grid. Essentially, F1, for the most part, was at home. But, the British F1 fans were not concerned about where the F1 teams had their ‘base’. They were biased and had no problem displaying their openly prejudiced position.

Hamilton

Their hero, their Great Dark Hope, Lewis Hamilton, was second in the championship, trailing his German teammate, Rosberg and they were all cheering vigorously to add the motivation he needed to propel his machine to P1!

England is known for inclement weather and at Silverstone, the weather was not favorable – the rain appeared and departed without consideration for the afternoon’s activities. The rain was more unpredictable than the value of the Jamaican dollar!

Seasoned campaigners, Ferrari Scuderia and Williams were caught with their wheels down. They were unprepared to wrestle with the elements and inaccurate tyre selection, slaughtered their progression from Q1! Ferrarri and Williams deleted at Q1!

Q2 saw the continuation of the lottery, but the high stakes GP took a dramatic turn in Q3. At the beginning of Q3 -a light drizzle appeared but Hamilton was already on track and in the process of completing what was thought to be an opportunistic scorching time! The commentators and fans thought that Lewis Hamilton had benefitted from the uncertainty which the weather posed – he was on pole. The English weather assisting the English champion? Strange but true!

Ricciardo

But drama and intrigue are never far from the F1 paddock. With less than 2 minutes remaining in Q3, the ‘big guns’ revisited the circuit on slicks. Ricciardo was of the view that he had extracted the best lap from the Red Bull so he decided to spectate.

Hamilton was on track, but was not willing to gamble – he went to the pits. Quadruple and reigning World Champion, Vettel, was buried in no man’s land, 10th or 11th ,so he had no difficulty gambling – he went scalp-hunting. Rosberg was not willing to settle for a spot behind Hamilton – he went pole-hunting! Button, who I am certain, was a distant memory for many at the circuit, was also on track.

Rosberg

When the Q3 evaporated and the lap-time for the ‘flying laps’ was being shown, it became alarmingly evident that the time Hamilton posted was under threat. Before we could gather our composure, we were stung by pole-searching times. When all of the machines crossed the finish line, you could lift the dropping jaws from of the garage floors at Silverstone! Rosberg P1, Vettel P2 and Button, ‘rocking’ his Pink helmet, to honor his dad -  P3. And Hamilton, relegated to the third row!

The championship is delicately poised. There are individuals who think that this might be Hamilton’s most important GP in 2014. Rosberg will not surrender his stranglehold, Vettel wants to re-establish his supremacy and Button at home, driven by his dad’s memory, will be as tough as nails!

Who will win the British GP?

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer