The Driver of the Day, Charles Leclerc was left heartbroken following him losing out on the race lead to Lewis Hamilton at the British GP.
The race was one filled with a ton of drama right from the first lap.
Till the very end, Leclerc held on to the lead and surpassed everyone’s expectations despite facing engine trouble throughout the race.
However, the second last lap is the one that will keep the Monegasque awake at night. The team radio silence on Leclerc’s side was enough to give an idea of his state of mind.
Hamilton wins the British GP
“F*ck, f*ck… thanks for the great car. I’m so disappointed,” Lecler said breaking the radio silence.
From the restart following Max Verstappen’s crash, Leclerc led the race for 50 laps but lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton just two laps at the end.
Hamilton took the lead from Leclerc at Copse, the exact spot where he collided with Verstappen in Lap 1.
At the restart, Hamilton stood P5 and also had a 10-second time penalty to cover. However, he was able to catch up to the Ferrari after passing Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas.
With three laps to go, he was just a second behind Leclerc. Much to Leclerc’s dismay, this was some truly spectacular driving from the Brit.
Leclerc nominated Driver of the Day
Silverstone was just two laps away from playing the Monacan national anthem on the podium.
In what could have been a massive victory for Leclerc, turned into a harsh reality on the impressive pace of the Mercedes.
Leclerc started the race from P4 and overtook Valtteri Bottas with ease. Following the collision between Hamilton and Verstappen, he immediately took the lead.
Red Flags were deployed and all eyes were on the Ferrari. Fans expected Hamilton to take the lead immediately but Leclerc put up a brave fight and held his ground.
Hamilton had the disadvantage of driving behind Leclerc’s dirty air which caused him to drop down.
Engine troubles for Ferrari
The fight for the lead took a surprising turn when Leclerc complained about an engine problem. Fans thought that it would be an easy win for Lewis.
However, after a quick fix, the Ferrari was roaring again.
Hamilton, who was ready to charge, had to wait a little longer after the Prancing Horse was soon optimized.
As a result, Charles was able to hold his place.
Final few laps
Towards the final laps of the race, Hamilton began to close in on his red target, decreasing the gap between the two.
The nail was soon driven into the coffin as the gap closed and Hamilton took home the win on his home soil.
“It is difficult to enjoy 100% but it has been an incredible race, I gave not 100% but I gave 200%, I gave all of me but it was just not enough in the last two laps,” Leclerc said after the race.
While it was a luckless race for the Ferrari driver, he deserved the apt title – ‘Driver of the Day’.
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