INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The heat dome that oppressed much of Europe has broken
Similarly, last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix took place under scorching skies that were baking the Tyrolean mountains
No such luck for the vast crowds at Silverstone attending the British Grand Prix this past weekend, who definitely needed their waterproofs
On the plus side, the addition of rain certainly made things interesting.Like many British race circuits, Silverstone was a former World War
Originally home to Wellington Bombers, it's very exposed to the wind, which was gusting at times during practice and qualifying, making life
complicated for the drivers
Lewis Hamilton made the home crowd smile by topping the time charts during FP1
Hamilton has struggled to get to grips with his new Ferrari for much of this season, but at Silverstone he looked much more comfortable,
finishing FP2 less than a 10th of a second behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, although neither could match McLaren's Lando Norris for
outright speed.On Saturday, it was Red Bull's Max Verstappen who rose to the top, snatching pole position from the McLarens of Oscar Piastri
and Norris by about a 10th of a second
George Russell's Mercedes was competitive in the colder temperatures, securing fourth on the grid ahead of the Ferraris of Hamilton and
Mercedes' young rookie, Kimi Antonelli, qualified seventh but would start 10th as a result of a penalty acquired in Austria, and Haas rookie
Oliver Bearman put in the eighth-fastest time, but ignoring a red flag during Saturday's final practice session landed him with a 10-place
As it was, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso lined up seventh for the race, followed by Pierre Gasly's Alpine, Carlos Sainz in the first
Williams, and then Antonelli rounding out the top 10.
