By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. It doesn't happen very often, but when a real race breaks out at an F1 Grand Prix it is worth mentioning. Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone was "a proper motor race" as our Brit friends like to call it, and it was riveting stuff right from the green flag. Lewis Hamilton won the pole in his Mercedes and was clearly the hometown favorite, and normally he would grab the lead in the first corner and drive away, as is standard procedure for what passes for a Grand Prix these days. But when he came together with Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at the start, the pre-ordained order of things was turned upside down and the race was on.
I am not going to regurgitate all of the details of the race (there are plenty of other sources for that), but suffice to say for the last quarter of the race the two best teams - Ferrari with Sebastian Vettel and Raikkonen, and Mercedes with Hamilton and Valterri Bottas - were up front, with the Red Bull Aston Martin teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo ready to pounce at the first opportunity. Hamilton drove brilliantly to will himself to the front, taking advantage of strategic pit strategy by Mercedes team operatives around two caution periods. He would finish a sensational second. Vettel got by Bottas for the win, while Raikkonen pushed himself into third, dropping Bottas to fourth.
As readers of this column know, I am not a fan of the politics and the regimented sterility that define F1, and I definitely don't like the current car specifications in the least. But I will give credit where credit is due, and Sunday's British Grand Prix was a tremendous race. The new owners of F1 and the team principals should take a long, hard look at the British Grand Prix and do everything in their power to bring that level of intensity and competition to every Grand Prix.
I know it's asking a lot given the moribund thinking rampant in the F1 circus, but if they care about the future of the sport they will pay heed to what transpired on Sunday.
And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Bridgehampton, New York, September 17, 1967. The Front Row for the Can-Am race: Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M6A Chevrolet, pole); Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren M6A Chevrolet); Dan Gurney (No. 36 All American Racers Lola T70 Mk.3B AAR-Weslake Ford). Hulme won, followed by McLaren and George Follmer in the No. 16 Penske Racing Sunoco Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet.