Sainz' maiden win and Hamilton's double-pass wow Silverstone
When the British Grand Prix finally got back underway after Zhou Guanyu's spectacular first corner accident, Carlos Sainz led the first ten laps before being overtaken by Max Verstappen. But for once, the Red Bull driver wasn't able to stamp his authority on the proceedings. He sustained a puncture and floor damage that dropped him down the order and opened the door for Sainz to claim his maiden F1 victory in his 150th race outing, once a spat over team orders with Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc was settled in his favour.
The race also proved a boost for Lewis Hamilton. He had been having a miserable season so far due to ongoing problems with 'porpoising' on the W13 resulting from the new rules and regulations brining ground effect aerodynamics back to FG1. It meant the Mercedes simply couldn't match the pace of the Red Bull and Ferrari cars. Hamilton had been lucky to finish on the podium in Bahrain (after Verstappen's fuel system issues) and most recently in Canada but it was clear that the team's troubles were far from over.
But Silverstone was to provide a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel for Mercedes, in a moment selected by fans as their choice of 'Action of the Year' awarded by the FIA at the end of the season. With DRS re-enabled on lap 45 after a brief safety car period, Hamilton watched as Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc went wheel-to-wheel for second place. When Perez briefly ran wide, Hamilton pounced down the inside and took both cars in a single move. He wasn't able to hold on his spoils and quickly slipped back behind them, but two laps later he succeeded in passing Leclerc for a second time and this time was able to keep hold of third place all the way to the finish.
As well as being one of the best bits of on-track action all season, it was the first time all year that the Mercedes had looked like it was getting back to the same level as its main rivals. This proved a little premature, but Hamilton went on to finish on the podium again in the next race in Austria and then claimed five runners-up spots in France, Hungary, US, Mexico and Brazil. There wasn't the race win he so desperately wanted, but in hindsight it endorsed the idea that the eye-catching double pass at Silverstone had been something of a turning point for the team in 2022.
