Keeping the home fires burning
FORMULA 1’S RETURN to Silverstone for the 2022 British Grand Prix this weekend will be the latest sell-out event, with the championship currently riding a huge wave of interest. That will feel familiar for those who also attended the 2021 race, which was the first fully open event since the pandemic had forced the long run of races held behind closed or only partially opened doors. This weekend will feature another festival atmosphere, while the paddock itself, a ghost town under the COVID clampdowns, will finally be bustling with activity again.
On the track, though, things are very different in 2022. The new cars have succeeded in making F1 racing closer and less predictable. Red Bull and Max Verstappen arrive once again with a healthy points lead, but this time the title battle is against Ferrari and Charles Leclerc.
Of the home heroes, Mercedes’ problematic W13 means Lewis Hamilton is travelling to Silverstone outside a title fight for the first time in nearly a decade, and points-wise he trails his new team-mate George Russell. Lando Norris continues to lead the line for McLaren, but the British team has likewise had a tough start to F1’s new era. A lot has changed in a year, and here we assess how 2022 has been going so far for Russell, Hamilton and Norris, and explain what they might achieve in front of that packed home crowd.
George Russell
Age 24 | Silverstone GP starts 4 | Best Silverstone GP finish 12th | 2022 championship pos 4th (111 points)
YOU’VE ALWAYS KNOWN you can do it. It’s a dream moment. The chance hasn’t arrived before – not that that was your fault. A previous golden opportunity for Formula 1 success was blown – again, not that that was your fault. But here it is: the reigning world champion
