The titans clashed
Mercedes and Ferrari have battled it out behind the scenes for the past two Formula 1 seasons, with tire wear and pit strategy being the main tools used by them in order to create overtaking opportunities and challenge for wins.
In the 2018 British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit, the gloves came off and a true race developed, as late safety cars bunched up the front four cars and created a multi-lap display that reminded Formula 1 fans that the top two teams are not afraid to race each other.
Both Ferrari cars of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were on the yellow-banded soft tires while both Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were trying to stick to strategy on the white-banded medium tires.
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Hamilton had convinced himself that his car was damaged even though his engineers told him it was fine, and he still managed to work through the field and finish in second place to recap a brilliant recovery following his first-lap incident. Bottas seemed to fade late in the race, as he was passed by Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen with just a few laps left in the race.
Even with the history of exciting racing, Silverstone Circuit seems to be in a constant state of doubt with a repaving that has given the track more grip at the expense of a smooth ride. The famed racing event still managed to draw a crowd of 340,000 spectators this past weekend.
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Lewis Hamilton still seems to be in a depressed funk, as he spent considerable time during the race using the radio to complain about his car feeling damaged or a strategy call being made or not made. Can the four-time world champion put together a run to win the 2018 Formula 1 driver championship?