F1: Max Verstappen finishes a disappointing 7th place in the British Grand Prix
Max Verstappen finished the British Grand Prix in a disappointing 7th position; he struggled with car issues throughout the race. The winner was Carlos Sainz of Ferrari.
The win marks Sainz’s first in F1. The second position was taken by Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished third. Despite the disappointing showing today, Verstappen still holds a 46 points lead on top of the leaderboard.
Verstappen started the race in second after a rain-soaked qualifying session on Saturday at Silverstone. Like the last F1 race in Montreal, Carlos Sainz began the race in pole position, with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc rounding off the top 3 in the third position. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez started the race in fourth.
It was a rollercoaster of a race for Verstappen who took the lead on the first sprint of the race before a nasty crash resulted in the red flag being used and the race being delayed. As a result of this crash, F1 drivers Zhou Guanyu and Alexander Albon were brought to a medical facility, but both drivers are on the way to a full recovery.
Upon the restart, Carlos Sainz retook the lead from Verstappen until the 10th lap, when Verstappen overtook the Spaniard. However, the lead did not last long as Verstappen got a puncture and was forced to go into the pits. He came out of the pits in 6th place. Verstappen had to block a late push by Mick Schumacher to finish 7th, with the young German driver for Haas coming close to catching Verstappen, but the 24-year-old from Hasselt was able to keep him at bay. Red Bull later revealed that Verstappen’s car was struggling due to floor damage that occurred in the 20th lap.
Verstappen will be hoping to return to winning ways next week Sunday at the Austrian Grand Prix, in Spielberg, Stiermarken.