British GP winner Hamilton questions Safety Car start

2016 British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton feels the race could have been started from the grid instead of getting under way behind the Safety Car.

With Silverstone awash in a downpour 20 minutes before lights out, race control decided not to have a regular standing start, with Hamilton safely leading the field off the line. The triple world champion was quickly on the radio to complain about the Safety Car being “too slow”.

Hamilton even told FIA race director Charlie Whiting “let’s go” as the 31-year-old grew impatient after five laps under these conditions.

“I personally think we could have started from the grid,” Hamilton said. “For sure there were patches all over the place and it would have been tricky but that’s what Formula One is all about. But then we did stay for sure far too long. It was pretty much intermediates by the time they let us go.

It would have been fun. I think it was just as wet and there was more water on the track in 2008 [Hamilton won his first British GP that year] when we started from the grid so that’s why I said that [to Charlie Whiting].”

Racing finally got under way on lap 6, with plenty of cars immediately rushing into the pits to switch for intermediates. The top four, however, stayed out longer, with Hamilton coming in when Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein trigged a Virtual Safety Car by spinning off track.

The Briton eventually switched to slicks as the track dried out and went on to control the proceedings from the front to make it four wins at Silverstone.

“In those conditions, you don’t want to go too early and risk it so it’s better to wait an extra lap or so,” Hamilton commented. “There’s more risk than there’s an advantage in going one lap or two earlier so that’s what we did.

“Later on the inters, we made them last as long as possible, there was no real rush to come in. I heard there were a couple people coming in at the time. I just waited to see how they did [on slicks] and as soon as they showed good sectors then we decided to switch.

“I never felt we were under pressure… to make that drastic decision. A fantastic decision from this team. They’ve stepped up their game once again.”

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