2022 Formula 1 British Grand Prix: Ferrari aims for a return to form as they chase Red Bull Racing

It was the finish Ferrari needed but now the one Charles Leclerc had perhaps envisioned it, as it was pole-sitter Carlos Sainz Jr. who powered past his teammate and away from the field to win the 2022 F1 British Grand Prix.

It is the first F1 victory of Sainz’s career, who ignored team orders at the end of the race when on a late restart after a virtual safety car period, he was ordered to hang back and hold the field off to let Leclerc build a gap. Instead, the Spaniard stayed with Leclerc, who was on older, hard compound tires. Using his fresher soft compound tires to his full advantage, Sainz went after his teammate, made the pass stick and then ran away from the field.

“We managed to hold on, and I’m very happy,” Sainz said. “It was not easy. I struggled with balance at the first stint of the race. … The nerves at the end on that final restart … Silverstone is a special place for me.”

That was just the start of Leclerc’s problems as then the Red Bull of Sergio Perez went around him and, after a long tussle, Lewis Hamilton motored past to take over third and push Leclerc to fourth.

So on a day when Leclerc could have really taken advantage of Max Verstappen’s woes, as the defending series champion finished seventh with an ill-handling car, instead it is Sainz who capitalizes. 

There was a scare right at the start, when the Mercedes of George Russell was tipped at the rear by the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly, who was trying to shoot the gap between Russell and the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu. Russell then clipped the right-rear of Zhou, which put him on his side then upside down as he went through the run-off area, over the barricade and into the catch fence. 

In a testament to the build on these cars, Zhou came through it OK, but the field was red flagged for a long stoppage before restarting. From there, it looked like Verstappen would have his way with the Ferraris again until something broke underneath his car at the rear, which disturbed his handling enough that he effectively was hanging on at the finish.

Unofficial results