British GP: Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen to claim record ninth victory at Silverstone | F1 News

British GP: Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen to claim record ninth victory at Silverstone | F1 News


Lewis Hamilton triumphed in a thrilling British Grand Prix to claim a record ninth victory at Silverstone and end a run of 56 races without a win.

Hamilton held off a late charge from world championship leader Max Verstappen to hang on for victory at his home race after the Red Bull driver had overtaken McLaren’s Lando Norris in the closing stages after a chaotic rain-interrupted contest.

The seven-time world champion had not won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and has now ensured his final season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari next year will be marked by a victory.

The record-extending 104th grand prix victory of Hamilton’s career saw him become the first Formula 1 driver to win the same race nine times, extending a record he had previously shared with Michael Schumacher. He also extended a record run for podiums at the same race to 12.

Lewis Hamilton wins the British GP and is left emotional on the team radio straight after.

“Since 2021, every day I’m getting up and fighting to train to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team,” Hamilton said.

“This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team. I wanted to win this so much for them because I love them and appreciate them so much.

Lando Norris takes full advantage of some slippery conditions at Silverstone, as he overtakes both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for the race lead

“All the hard work they put in over these years. I’m forever grateful to everyone at Mercedes and all our partners. And to all our incredible fans. I could see you lap by lap. There’s no greater feeling to finish at the front here.”

British GP result: Top 10

1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull

3) Lando Norris, McLaren

4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren

5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

6) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

7) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

8) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

9) Alex Albon, Williams

10)Yuki Tsunoda, RB

How Hamilton claimed record win

Having started from second behind George Russell, Hamilton took the lead on lap 18 as his Mercedes team-mate struggled as rain began to fall.

However, Hamilton too found the conditions difficult and only held the lead briefly before Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri came through to occupy the top two places.

Russell retired from the British Grand Prix with a suspected water issue

Hamilton regained second when the intensifying rain forced the field to switch from slick tyres to intermediates around the midway point, as McLaren cost Piastri time by not joining Mercedes in double-stacking their cars in the pits.

Verstappen, who had struggled on the opening stint as he dropped back to fifth, was brought back into play by a smartly timed Red Bull pit stop as he climbed to third, with Russell suddenly retiring from fourth because of a technical issue.

Max Verstappen overtook Lando Norris for second as he looked to chase down Lewis Hamilton for the race win

The rain then eased to leave a final key pit stop for the leaders to switch back to slick tyres, which saw Hamilton undercut Norris for the lead as Mercedes brought him in a lap earlier than the McLaren.

Both went for soft tyres, while the looming Verstappen was on a hard tyre which would give him greater freedom to push in the final stages.

Verstappen passed Norris with four full circuits of the 52-lap race remaining, but Hamilton expertly managed his tyres to maintain a relatively comfortable 1.5s margin at the chequered flag.

Lewis Hamilton and his engineer Peter Bonnington celebrate on the podium together following his emotional British GP victory!

The victory resulted in triumphant celebrations from the British fans at Silverstone, while a tearful Hamilton exchanged emotional messages over team radio with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and his long-time race engineer Peter Bonnington.

The 39-year-old waved a Union Flag out of his cockpit after taking the chequered flag, before being greeted by his mother and father immediately after exiting the car.

Hamilton’s celebrations – in pictures

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates with his mother after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates with his father after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates on the podium after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Verstappen extends championship lead amid Hamilton glory

While he was unable to deny Hamilton on this occasion, Verstappen’s late surge and pass on Norris ensured that he further extended his world championship lead over the Brit.

A dominant start to the season that saw Verstappen win four of the first five races is now a distant memory, with the Dutchman having had to settle for just three victories across the next seven grands prix.

His 84-point lead over Norris at the halfway stage of the 24-race season puts him in an extremely strong position to claim a fourth successive drivers’ title.

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull maximised their result by finishing second

As was the case when he claimed hard-fought victories in Canada and Spain in June, Verstappen needed all of his – and Red Bull’s – excellence to ensure Norris didn’t make ground.

Despite having brought upgrades to Silverstone, the RB20 couldn’t match the pace of either Mercedes or McLaren for much of the race, and it was only when Verstappen had the hard tyre on the final stint that he was finally able to pressure his rivals.

That wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the timing of his switch to intermediate tyres and then Red Bull’s decision to give him hard tyres for the final stint.

In contrast, a distraught Norris felt that his and McLaren’s strategic calls had cost him a first home victory.

Listen into the cool-down room where Lewis Hamilton offers some advice to a despondent Lando Norris about McLaren’s strategy

Allowing Hamilton to pit earlier at the end gave him the opportunity to undercut, but perhaps more importantly, McLaren gave Norris the same soft tyre as the Mercedes, when the new medium they had available was shown to be much faster by Piastri, who used it for his final stint.

Since claiming his maiden F1 victory in Miami in May, Norris has had a very strong chance of winning five of the six races that have followed, but a failure to take advantage of what has often been the fastest car on the track has left the 24-year-old hugely frustrated.

“I know [it’s a podium at the British GP] but I’m fed up of just saying I should have done better and I should have done this and could have done that, or whatever,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.

“I don’t care if it takes time, I don’t want it to take time. I should be doing it now, we should be winning now. I should be making better decisions than what I’m making.

“I’m just disappointed, it’s a win. It’s a win in Formula 1 and I’m not going to settle for something less when we should have achieved it.”

Lando Norris believes he threw away the race win after making the wrong tyre choice and he should be making better decisions instead of missing out on victories

Piastri claimed fourth to secure another strong haul of points for McLaren, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz fifth and claiming an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for a second successive race as Haas claimed another superb result, with the German finish ahead of Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Williams’ Alex Albon and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the points.

Red Bull are 71 points clear of Ferrari at the top of the constructors’ standings, with both teams only getting points from one driver as Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez finished outside the points after switching to intermediate tyres too early when the rain arrived.

Third-placed McLaren closed their deficit to Red Bull to 78 points, while Mercedes are now 152 points off the leaders.

British GP Result

Driver Team Time
1) Lewis Hamilon Mercedes 1:22:27.059s
2) Max Verstappen Red Bull +1.465
3) Lando Norris McLaren +7.547
4) Oscar Piastri McLaren +12.439
5) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +47.318
6) Nico Hulkenberg Haas +55.722
7) Lance Stroll Aston Martin +56.569
8) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +63.577
9) Alex Albon Williams +68.387
10) Yuki Tsunoda RB +79.303
11) Logan Sargeant Williams +88.960
12) Kevin Magnussen Haas +90.153
13) Daniel Ricciardo RB +1 lap
14) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1 lap
15) Valtteri Bottas Sauber +1 lap
16) Esteban Ocon Alpine +2 laps
17) Sergio Perez Red Bull +2 laps
18) Zhou Guanyu Sauber +2 laps
George Russell Mercedes DNF
Pierre Gasly Alpine DNF

Next up for F1 is the Hungarian Grand Prix from Budapest on July 19-21. You can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

LIV Golf League: Tyrrell Hatton holds off Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau to earn big win in Nashville | Golf News

LIV Golf League: Tyrrell Hatton holds off Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau to earn big win in Nashville | Golf News


Tyrrell Hatton held off Jon Rahm and two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau to win the inaugural LIV Golf Nashville event on Sunday – the Englishman’s first victory since January 2021 at Abu Dhabi.

Hatton took a three-stroke lead into the round and shot a six-under 65 to polish off a six-stroke win at The Grove.

Hatton, who finished tie for 17th at the US Open last week, hit eight birdies and two bogeys to finish at 19-under, avoiding looking at a leaderboard until the 17th green.

“It was nice to play the last few holes and it not be super tight,” said Hatton. “I guess having not won for three and a half years… you wonder if you’ll be able to do it in some ways. So I was happy I was able to prove it to myself.”

This was Hatton’s ninth event since joining LIV Golf, and a tie for fourth had been his best finish. His lone PGA victory was the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Image:
Hatton registered his first victory since clinching the Abu Dhabi Championship in 2021

With captain Rahm shooting a 68, Hatton helped Legion XIII also win its third team title.

Rahm played his first event since an infection on his left foot kept him out of the US Open at Pinehurst No.2. after withdrawing from LIV Golf Houston during the second round.

But nobody could chase Hatton down on a steamy Tennessee afternoon.

Fellow Englishman Sam Horsfield made his own late run with five birdies over his final nine holes for a 65 to finish 13-under-par.

Image:
Jon Rahm moved to within two strokes of Tyrell Hatton but was unable to deny the Englishman victory in Nashville

DeChambeau (68) and Rahm tied Joaquin Niemann (62) and Lee Westwood (66) at 12 under.

Rahm birdied three of his first four holes to pull within two of Hatton, only to hook his tee shot into the water on the par-four sixth. He made clear a drone used for TV coverage affected his backswing, as he went on to salvage a double bogey.

DeChambeau hit the pin on the par-three 15th and watched his birdie putt dribble away from the hole. He watched, then fell to the green and rolled onto his back.

What’s next?

The next LIV Golf League event takes place at Real Club Valderrama from July 12-14, ahead of The 152nd Open at Royal Troon the following week. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more, without a contract, with NOW.

Royal Ascot: Haatem holds on in Jersey thriller | Racing News

Royal Ascot: Haatem holds on in Jersey thriller | Racing News


Haatem enjoyed a deserved day in the sun after clinging on grimly to claim a thrilling renewal of the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Winner of the Craven Stakes in April, Richard Hannon’s three-year-old returned to Newmarket to finish third in the 2000 Guineas before finding only his esteemed stablemate Rosallion too strong in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh three weeks later.

With Rosallion having given the form a major boost by landing the St James’s Palace Stakes on Tuesday, Haatem was given his opportunity to shine on the final day of the Royal meeting, carrying the colours of Wathnan Racing for the first time in the hands of James Doyle.

Image:
Winning jockey James Doyle

With 13/8 favourite River Tiber finding disappointingly little when push came to shove, Haatem (7/2) moved nicely to the front and looked set to win handsomely after taking a couple of lengths out of the field.

However, the Harry Charlton-trained Kikkuli – half-brother to the mighty Frankel by top sire Kingman – really found his feet late on and the pair passed the post almost as one.

Following a brief wait, the judge confirmed Haatem had held on by a short head, with the Johnny Murtagh-trained Chicago Critic (80/1) in third.

“He’s deserved this. It’s a Group Three, but it’s not, it’s Royal Ascot,” said Hannon.

“He carried a penalty, he got there very easy and he deserved his day in the sun. Hopefully he’ll have plenty more.

“It was a very deep race, there were 20 runners and it was not your normal Jersey.

“It’s great for Wathnan, they bought a lot of horses and it was so important they had success and they’ve earned it.

“There are so many options for him, we’ll travel a bit, there’s a lot of races for him in Australia, France and America, but he’ll go back over a mile, it was a bit of a risk going back down to seven.

“In fairness both James Doyle and Jamie Spencer who have ridden him recently said he’d have no problem dropping down to seven and they were right.

“I don’t think there’s any need for him to take on Rosallion again. I wouldn’t enjoy watching that. I didn’t mind watching the Irish Guineas back afterwards, but it’s not enjoyable at the time.

“He’s a horse that deserves everything he gets. He cost just £27,000, and that says a lot about our sport, a lot of it good. He’s here taking part with a penalty at the top level. It shows it’s possible, which you can’t say about many sports.”

Of Kikkuli, Charlton said: “We’re delighted with him. Oisin (Murphy) said it was a bit of a head up, head down – he rode him to follow Haatem, and James Doyle on a miler started stretching two down. Oisin said he’s run great. It’s a shame to be second twice (after King’s Gambit earlier in the week), but we won’t take anything away from the horse, he’s run great against a hardened Group One horse who’s had a lot more experience than him.

“Barry (Mahon, of Juddmonte) texted me this morning and said, ‘He’s 25-1’, and I said, ‘Well, Karl Burke’s horse that was 5-1 for the Guineas (Night Raider) is bigger than us – it’s a proper race and a there are a lot of 110-plus horses’, and he’s run outstandingly, really.

“Oisin said seven or eight furlongs. I think actually what looked key there was having pace. He travelled probably the best of them; he enjoyed the pace and the quick ground.

“I watched them down at the start and he was probably the one horse not sweating. He’s from an exuberant family, and by Kingman, and this lad is absolutely bombproof.”

Bedtime Story charges to emphatic Chesham victory

Bedtime Story shot to the head of ante-post lists for next year’s 1000 Guineas following a scintillating display in the Chesham Stakes on the final day at Royal Ascot.

A winner as an apparent second string for Aidan O’Brien at Leopardstown little over a fortnight ago, the daughter of Frankel and top-class sprinting mare Mecca’s Angel was a well-supported 11-8 favourite to double her tally.

Bedtime Story rockets home
Image:
Bedtime Story rockets home

Always travelling well in the slipstream of the keen-going pacesetter Motawahij, Bedtime Story left her rivals standing once given her head by Ryan Moore, accelerating an astonishing nine and a half lengths clear of her toiling rivals, with Pentle Bay pipping Brian to the runner-up spot.

O’Brien said: “We never let her go before, it’s the first time we’ve asked her to stretch and she just took off. We’ve treated her gently, she has unbelievable pedigree and she’s obviously very special.

“Ryan said he couldn’t believe it; he said everyone fell away, he said ‘go on’, and she just took off. He didn’t even give her a slap down the shoulder.

“It’s unusual for a filly to do that, she’d won nicely first time but we thought she was a Group One filly.

“You all saw what I saw, we won’t be looking for one that’s better, that is for sure.”

Moore said: “The only I time worked was pulling up really. She travelled very easy, they’ve gone too slow for her really.

“I had room at the three so we started going forward and the race was over very quickly. Obviously, she’s a level above all of them.”

When asked about comparisons with the stable’s Albany Stakes winner Fairy Godmother, he added: “It’s a hard one. They haven’t really been asked to do too much at home. We don’t know a whole about them, we don’t know what they’ve beaten yet, but they are two very exciting fillies.

“A performance like that, you don’t see normally.”

On how he will keep Fairy Godmother and Bedtime Story apart, O’Brien added: “There are plenty of races for them all, I think. She’ll be staying at seven furlongs, obviously.”

Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor, two of the Coolmore triumvirate along with John Magnier, were suitably impressed.

Smith said: “I asked Ryan if she was as good as she looked and he said ‘absolutely’. You can’t get better than that. They don’t win like that here. I’m speechless really.”

While Tabor said: “We expected her to win, but you never expect an animal to win the way she did.

“Unfortunately for Godolphin (Age Of Gold), the second in, which we thought was the obvious danger, was never going well. So I thought, in-running, that we would win. To win by nine or 10 lengths is incredible, though.

“Her and Fairy Godmother were both spectacular.”

Hand Of God scores Golden Gates winner for Harry Charlton

On the 38th anniversary of the Diego Maradona goal that knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup, Hand Of God was an appropriate winner of the Golden Gates Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Having rounded off his juvenile campaign with a maiden victory at Newmarket, the Harry Charlton-trained colt won on his handicap debut at Sandown in April and was a 9/4 favourite to complete the hat-trick in the hands of William Buick.

The son of Churchill picked up well once asked to go about his business and passed the post with a length and three-quarters in hand over Cambridge, with Black Run third.

It was a deserved victory this week for Charlton after King’s Gambit came from the clouds to finish second in the Hampton Court Stakes in the same colours on Thursday, while Kikkuli was beaten just a short head in the Jersey Stakes earlier on Saturday’s card.

Charlton said: “He didn’t have a great trip, but he had a clear run and picked up very quick and William thought he almost got there too soon.

“It was hard to plan as the complexion of the race changed so much with the non-runners as we were originally drawn 17 of 19 and it came down to 10 of 12 so it wasn’t as bad as it first looked

“The plan was to be mid-div and not three off the rail, I think he was further back than planned and he was three off the rail so it didn’t go to plan, but he picked up great.

“I think he’s still a 10-furlong horse; he’s got a great mind and is good physically. He’s not done much wrong and I guess he’s probably due a step up in class. He works with King’s Gambit, so we were all quite confident.

“Credit to Mohammed Jaber as he’s had a tough week with what happened to King’s Gambit, we all thought we were a bit unlucky that day so for him to get a winner is important.”

Buick said: “I know there were a few non-runners, but to be drawn 17 at a mile and a quarter is a notoriously hard draw. We got in where we could and got a lovely rhythm. To be honest, when he picked up early in the straight, he was pretty instant and progressive to the line.

“He gave me a really good feel. He’s very comfortable at a mile and a quarter, I would say that he’s been needing this trip. He’s a young horse going places.”

He added: “King’s Gambit in the Hampton Court was a very unlucky loser. We kind of lost it at the start, unfortunately, where we got back and then the race was getting away from us – there wasn’t much of a pace and it was very much a Plan B sort of ride.

“It wasn’t the plan to ride him (King’s Gambit) like that at all, but it was through unfortunate circumstances and he ran very well to finish second as close as he did. I believe he should have won, but he’s a nice horse for the future, and Hand Of God winning now gives some compensation.”