2018 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel won a lively 2018 British Grand Prix, passing Valtteri Bottas late in the race to end Ferrari‘s long wait for victory at Silverstone Circuit. Lewis Hamilton recovered from an opening-lap spin to second, keeping the championship fight close after a difficult start to his home race.

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:25.892
Fastest lap
Driver	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Time	1:30.696 on lap 47
Podium
First	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
6 July 2018	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
6 July 2018	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
7 July 2018	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
7 July 2018	Qualifying	14:00 – 15:00
8 July 2018	Race	14:10

All times are local (UTC+01:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Vettel led Hamilton by a single point after Mercedes‘ double retirement in Austria. The final race of the triple-header offered Hamilton a chance to respond at home, where he had won the previous four British Grands Prix.

Race entries

All 20 regular drivers entered the weekend. A third DRS zone extended through the opening corners, requiring drivers to judge carefully when to close the rear wing as they approached Abbey.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 in 1:27.487 ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. Romain Grosjean crashed at Abbey, while Max Verstappen stopped with a gearbox problem.

Vettel headed FP2 with a 1:27.552, followed by Hamilton and Bottas. Verstappen crashed at Luffield, and Grosjean missed the session while Haas repaired his car.

Hamilton topped FP3 in 1:26.722 ahead of Kimi Räikkönen. Brendon Hartley suffered a heavy accident after a suspension failure, leaving Toro Rosso unable to prepare his car for qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 British Grand Prix FP1, 6 July 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:27.487	24
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.367s	27
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.511s	22
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.657s	30
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.731s	24
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.838s	24
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.865s	12
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.325s	23
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+2.328s	24
10	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.391s	25
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.455s	25
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.517s	31
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.540s	27
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.578s	20
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.835s	19
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+2.871s	22
17	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.929s	25
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+3.214s	18
19	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+3.262s	31
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+3.530s	22

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 British Grand Prix FP2, 6 July 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:27.552	36
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.187s	32
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.357s	30
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.493s	34
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.856s	31
6	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.754s	31
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.802s	35
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.915s	33
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.970s	32
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.005s	30
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+2.011s	36
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.065s	33
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.279s	16
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.494s	32
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.517s	34
16	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+2.551s	36
17	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.569s	31
18	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+2.852s	36
19	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	No time	2
—	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	No time	0

Romain Grosjean missed this session following his FP1 crash; he is included without a classified position.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 British Grand Prix FP3, 7 July 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:26.722	15
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.093s	14
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.642s	17
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.129s	8
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.290s	22
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.296s	15
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.424s	18
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.696s	16
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.832s	18
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.092s	17
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+2.195s	14
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.344s	15
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.348s	17
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.372s	12
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+2.411s	15
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+3.107s	13
17	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+3.262s	17
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+3.282s	17
19	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+3.328s	4
20	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	No time	3

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole with a 1:25.892, just 0.044 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen was third and Valtteri Bottas fourth, followed by the two Red Bull Racing cars.

Charles Leclerc reached Q3 again and qualified ninth. Hartley missed qualifying, while Lance Stroll went into the gravel without setting a time. Hartley and both Williams drivers were subsequently required to start from the pit lane after changes to their cars.

Qualifying Classification

2018 British Grand Prix Qualifying, 7 July 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:26.818	1:26.256	1:25.892	16
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:26.585	1:26.372	1:25.936	17
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:27.549	1:26.483	1:25.990	17
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:27.025	1:26.413	1:26.217	15
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:27.309	1:27.013	1:26.602	14
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:27.979	1:27.369	1:27.099	14
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:28.143	1:27.730	1:27.244	19
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:28.086	1:27.522	1:27.455	20
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:27.962	1:27.790	1:27.879	19
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:28.279	1:27.843	1:28.194	20
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:28.017	1:27.901	—	12
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:28.210	1:27.928	—	14
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:28.187	1:28.139	—	12
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:28.399	1:28.343	—	15
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:28.249	1:28.391	—	16
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:28.456	—	—	8
17	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:29.096	—	—	9
18	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:29.252	—	—	7
—	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	No time	—	—	2
—	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	No time	—	—	0

Sergey Sirotkin was required to start from the pit lane after changing his rear wing.

Lance Stroll failed to set a lap time during qualifying. He was allowed to race at the stewards’ discretion. He was required to start from the pit lane after changing his rear wing.

Brendon Hartley did not take part in qualifying after crashing in FP3. He was allowed to race at the stewards’ discretion. He was required to start from the pit lane after changing his chassis.

What happened in the 2018 British Grand Prix?

Hamilton lost ground at the start and was then spun by contact with Kimi Räikkönen at Turn 3. Vettel led from Bottas as Hamilton fell to the back of the running field. Räikkönen received a ten-second penalty, and Hamilton began a determined recovery.

The leading order changed when Marcus Ericsson crashed at Abbey and brought out the safety car. Ferrari and Red Bull Racing stopped for fresh tyres, while Mercedes kept its drivers out. Bottas gained the lead, with Vettel second and Hamilton third.

A collision between Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz brought another safety car. Once racing resumed, Bottas faced the challenge of holding off Vettel on older tyres while Hamilton and Räikkönen remained close behind.

Vettel completed the decisive pass into Brooklands late in the race. Hamilton and Räikkönen also passed Bottas, who could not make the original tyre strategy work to the finish. Max Verstappen retired after a spin and a brake-by-wire problem.

Vettel won ahead of Hamilton and Räikkönen, with Bottas fourth and Daniel Ricciardo fifth. Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen followed. A penalty for Pierre Gasly promoted Sergio Perez into the final points position.

Vettel’s first Silverstone victory since 2009 extended his championship lead to eight points. Hamilton had limited the damage with his recovery, but Ferrari left the British Grand Prix with a significant win on Mercedes‘ strongest recent territory.

2018 British Grand Prix race results

The 2018 British Grand Prix was held on 8 July 2018, with a scheduled start of 14:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	52	1:27:29.784	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	52	+2.264s	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	52	+3.652s	15
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	52	+8.883s	12
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	52	+9.500s	10
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	52	+28.220s	8
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	52	+29.930s	6
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	52	+31.115s	4
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	52	+33.188s	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	52	+34.708s	1
11	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	52	+35.774s	0
12	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	52	+38.106s	0
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	52	+39.129s	0
14	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	52	+48.113s	0
15	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	46	Brakes	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	37	Collision	0
Ret	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	37	Collision	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	31	Accident	0
Ret	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	18	Wheel	0
Ret	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	1	PU connector	0

Pierre Gasly originally finished 10th, but received a 5-second penalty for causing a collision.

Max Verstappen retired from the race, but was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2018 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	47	15:33:10	1:30.696	233.831
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	51	15:39:19	1:30.795	233.576
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	52	15:40:49	1:31.245	232.424
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	43	15:27:01	1:31.377	232.089
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	46	15:31:43	1:31.589	231.551
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	42	15:25:32	1:32.007	230.499
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	48	15:35:00	1:33.405	227.049
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	48	15:35:04	1:33.465	226.904
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	48	15:35:04	1:33.472	226.887
10	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	52	15:41:18	1:33.482	226.862
11	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	48	15:35:05	1:33.551	226.695
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	48	15:35:02	1:33.604	226.567
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	48	15:35:01	1:33.606	226.562
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	26	14:55:17	1:33.675	226.395
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	48	15:35:08	1:33.869	225.927
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	28	14:58:28	1:34.391	224.678
17	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	25	14:53:35	1:34.602	224.177
18	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	52	15:41:35	1:34.620	224.134
19	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	3	14:18:11	1:35.209	222.747

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 British Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	171
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	163
3	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	116
4	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	106
5	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	104
6	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	93
7	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	42
8	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	40
9	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	39
10	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	28
11	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India	25
12	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India	24
13	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	18
14	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	13
15	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	12
16	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	8
17	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	4
18	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	3
19	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	1
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	0

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	287
2	Mercedes	267
3	Red Bull Racing	199
4	Renault	70
5	Haas	51
6	Force India	49
7	McLaren	48
8	Toro Rosso	19
9	Sauber	16
10	Williams	4

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November