Alvin's Formula One Blog

Lewis Hamilton may have crossed the line in fourth place at the 2025 British Grand Prix, but his message to Ferrari was crystal clear — this car isn’t good enough, and it absolutely cannot be the foundation for 2026. The seven-time World Champion gave everything in front of his home crowd at Silverstone. Through relentless rain, strategic chaos, and fading tyre performance, Lewis showed grit and class. But as the checkered flag dropped, what should have been a moment of pride quickly turned into a moment of frustration. The Ferrari SF-25 simply wasn’t good enough — and Lewis made sure the team heard it loud and clear. “Elements of this car cannot go into the following year,” he told media after the race. Ferrari’s Reality Check: Silverstone Shows The Limits The 2025 season has been full of challenges for Lewis and Scuderia Ferrari. While the results haven’t been disastrous — Lewis has been consistently finishing in the top five — the pace just hasn’t been there to fight for wins, espec...

When it comes to Formula 1, every second matters — especially when you're Lewis Hamilton, driving in front of your home crowd at Silverstone Circuit, aiming to deliver Ferrari’s first podium of the season. But sometimes, it's not the driver, not even the car, but circumstances that get in the way. And in the case of the 2025 British Grand Prix, Lewis was denied his first podium in red — by strategy miscalculations, slippery conditions, and one critical technical failure: a complete loss of GPS. For a man who has made a career out of mastering wet-weather conditions and thriving under pressure, this one hurt — not just for Lewis, but for every Lewis fan hoping to see him stand on that Silverstone podium draped in Ferrari red. The Start Of A New Era With Ferrari Lewis’s move to Scuderia Ferrari was the headline of the 2025 F1 season. A seismic shift. After over a decade with Mercedes, the seven-time World Champion decided to chase glory with the most iconic name in Formula 1. The...

Mercedes-Benz is searching for reporters to attend their sponsored events and report on it for the brand in their own unique and original way. Recognising we’re all Social Reporters these days, from Twitter to Facebook and Instagram, Mercedes-Benz are giving fans the chance to invigorate their timelines with amazing content opportunities at this years British Grand Prix and The British Open. Launching with Formula 1, the winner will be able to attend the Silverstone Grand Prix and document the experience, a pretty great prize for any racing or sports fan. This would be a great competition for everybody so Mercedes Benz would love it if you could spread the word and inspire your followers to get out there, create and share their racing moments and become a Social Reporter for Mercedes-Benz. The competition submissions end on the 19th, with voting commencing on the 20th – 24th June. Sorry about this late post but was busy. Enter #SocialReporter and you'll get VIP access, inte...

A home for Lewis and Jensen. After all the ups and downs with Bernie and Donnington, Silverstone is back as the official venue of the British GP. And it will do so for the next ten years with an option to renew for another 7 years, provided Silverstone can afford Bernie's demands. I like Silverstone. Not just because of its rich racing history (it did kick off the current world championship in 1950) but the circuit layout although looks simple, is quite enjoyable to drive. It's fast, flowing and has a 4 apex chicane, kinda like Suzuka. Well, now that Silverstone is safe and will host this year's race, it has been freshened up with a new layout. According to Damon Hill, president of BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) which owns Silverstone: ‘We think we have produced a racetrack of the future,’. It looks like it has the potential to be a real corker.’ I hope so too. Anyway, with the amount of top teams this year and the drivers challenging for the win, it will be. Have a lo...

One good news today is that the British GP has been saved with Silverstone being given the rights to host the race for the next 17 years, although it seems that there is a clause for both parties to go separate ways after 10 years. Whatever it is, it's still good news as Silverstone not only has the history of being the first race in the history of the official F1 series but is also a pretty good track. Lewis Hamilton is happy that the track has been saved and will host more races in future. He won there convincingly in the rain. It would be great to see him racing Button there next year too. "The place has an atmosphere money can't buy and I have some fantastic memories of the track, winning both races in GP2 in 2006, getting an incredibly emotional and satisfying pole in 07 and winning in the wet in my championship year (2008). "

19/07/2009 Bernie Ecclestone's relationship with Silverstone looks like a teenage love affair what with its on/off twists and turns, and right now the circuit is flavour of the month. In a u-turn from previous comments Ecclestone has said that if Donington, which is due to host the British GP from next year, cannot get its funding in place then the race can stay at Silverstone . Today Pitpass ' business editor Chris Sylt reports in the Independent that Ecclestone is even open to Donington and Silverstone rotating the hosting of the race. You would have thought that Damon Hill, president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns Silverstone , might be lap...

Tuesday 23rd June 2009 Lewis Hamilton is hopeful for at least a small upturn in form at the Nurburgring after spending much of the British GP fighting at the back of the field. Hamilton's British GP was anything but a happy return to home ground for the Brit but he did at least put in some of the better racing on display as he fought with former nemesis Fernando Alonso - albeit over 16th place. Now, turning his attention to the next race in Germany, Hamilton is hoping that McLaren have learnt some lessons from Silverstone that can result in an upturn at engine partner Mercedes's home race. "It's still not going to be a night-and-day change that makes the difference, but I'm hoping that we can gain some advantage to help improve our results," he told his website. "I'm looking forward to the Nürburgring - the home race for Mercedes-Benz; I'm hoping that we will have some huge improv...

Zoom Plenty of home support for Hamilton and Button L ewis Hamilton was lightly admonished after performing an illegal doughnut for the British public at the end of what could have been Silverstone's last Grand Prix. Having won by more than a minute last year, the 24-year-old returned this weekend as reigning world champion but qualified next-to-last before being lapped on Sunday. FIA stewards frown upon doughnuts, but Hamilton lit up his tyres after only delivering 16th place for his compatriots in the race. It also annoyed his McLaren engineers, protective of the V8 unit that will have to be used elsewhere this season. Hamilton confirmed with a smile that "the team were moaning a little bit. He had said after qualifying that the local fans are the ones who are really helping me to get through" the misery of his current lack of competitiveness. "I tried to show my appreciation on the (slowing down) lap and I had a little bit of fun," said Hamilto...

Sunday 21st June 2009 Lewis Hamilton says he gave his all during Sunday's British GP but that the car's shear lack of pace negated all his efforts. Despite lapping the Silverstone circuit around 15th place for much of the race, Hamilton did offer some of the best action of the afternoon as himself and former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso demonstrated why they've won World titles. Even though they were fighting for 16th place at the time, the duo went at it tooth and nail with first Hamilton getting by Alonso on the inside of Copse and then Alonso repaying the pass a few corners later. But the epic battle yielded few rewards other than the cheer of the fans, as Hamilton finished the British GP down in 16th place. "I gave it my all today," said the McLaren driver. "Despite fighting for the lower positions, I was absolutely on the limit for the whole race. "We knew it would be difficu...

Sunday 21st June 2009 Unfortunately, the racing was secondary in Silverstone... F1 Talks Itself Down In airing their dirty linen as the headline item on Friday's news bulletins, F1 proved that not all publicity is good publicity. The ongoing power battle that is crippling the sport is supposedly over money and the planned introduction of a budget cap. The irony, then, is that by self-destructing over proposed financial constraints F1 has made itself a less viable vehicle for financial input than ever before. What business or industry is going to risk investment in the sport at a time of economic recession when the sport's governance is so chaotic and its future so uncertain? Bickering over the terms of a budget cap is meaningless when the bickering puts a budget on the sport's income. For the president of the sport's governing body to then refer to the teams as "loonies" doesn't just contradict the tenor of his own...

Sunday 21st June 2009 Star of the Race Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Winner After Vettel set nine fastest laps in the opening 13 he never looked like he was going to be threatened for the win. Had his team-mate not done so badly in qualifying on Saturday, then it might have been a fair old ding dong at the front. But from the moment he got into Copse first (and didn't put it off the track in the opening lap) with Webber tucked up behind Barrichello, his win was assured. He went into the first pit-stops with a 23-second advantage and though Nigel Mansell has hauled that back in as many laps at Silverstone, that was in the days when cars could overtake. Overtaking Move of the Race Lap 22, Lewis Hamilton on Nick Heidfeld Heidfeld emerged from the pitlane and must have been told that he had a fast-approaching Lewis Hamilton exiting Copse. As the McLaren's momentum took it alongside the BMW you feared for a 190mph collision as they both competed for the sing...

Saturday 20th June 2009 Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for Sunday's British GP beating a BrawnGP driver, but it wasn't the one British fans were hoping for. Vettel, who had the measure of his rivals for two of the weekend's three practice sessions, put his revised RB5 to good use on Saturday afternoon, taking pole position with a 1:19.509. That put him ahead of Rubens Barrichello who finished 0.347s behind the German, while Button could only manage sixth place on his home grid. Mark Webber was third for Red Bull, finishing ahead of Jarno Trulli and Kazuki Nakajima. Meanwhile, a huge accident for Adrian Sutil with 24s left on the clock in Q1 cost Lewis Hamilton any chance of making it through to the next session. He will start P19. Sutil, thankfully, escaped unhurt although his Force India was destroyed. Qualifying 1 Following showers in the morning, conditions were still cloudy with sunny intervals a...

Saturday 20th June 2009 Lewis Hamilton is refusing to proclaim that he would have been on pole if it hadn't been for Adrian Sutil crash forcing him out of Q1 at Silverstone. The McLaren driver, who was languishing down in 19th, was on a flying lap when Sutil crashed his Force India into the barriers at the Abbey chicane during Q1. Because of the severity of the accident the session was red flag and the 24s remaining on the clock did not leave Hamilton - or anyone else - with enough time to put in an out lap and a flying lap. Thus he dropped out of qualifying and will start P19 on the grid for his home race. "I did the best I could today," said Hamilton. "I was pushing as hard as I could but our car is too slow. I gave it my all and there wasn't really much more I could have got from the car." He also refused to blame Sutil's accident for his disappointing qualifying. "I was pushing...

Saturday 20th June 2009 Sebastian Vettel's pole position time around Silverstone become even more impressive once the FIA released the weights of the cars. Vettel will start Sunday's British GP from the P1 slot on the grid after clocking a 1:19.509, which put him 0.347s ahead of Rubens Barrichello and an additional tenth quicker than his team-mate. What's impressive, though, is fact that Vettel was carrying more fuel than both his rivals. And in fact, he is the heaviest of all ten drivers who took part in the pole position shoot-out. Meanwhile, Webber will have to rely on raw pace to get ahead of Barrichello as the duo are on similar fuel strategies as is fourth-placed Jarno Trulli. The lightest of the top ten was Kazuki Nakajima, which probably explains why he managed to qualify ahead of his Williams team-mate Nico Rosberg, who was almost 10kgs heavier. Slotted in between the two Williams is Jenson Button,...

Wednesday 17th June 2009 If Simon Gillett, the developer of the Donington Circuit is to be believed, then this is the last British GP at Silverstone for at least the next 17 years. That's the length of the contract he's been given to run the F1 grand prix. He may not have time on his side or the necessary investment, but what he can rely on is a big audience. In Turkey at the last round they couldn't attract punters in with a £40 weekend pass and £200 grandstand seats. This weekend Silverstone will be full to bursting with punters paying £180 for a weekend pass alone. Which makes the prospect of taking this grand prix off the calendar a total nonsense. Just as it has been in Canada, Montreal and Silverstone may not have circuit buildings that look like a Disney-inspired industrial estate, but they do have something far more relevant. Fans. This weekend they'll be packing out the Northamptonshire circuit in the hope of a Jenson Button victory....

Friday 12th June 2009 Lewis Hamilton may be enduring his most wretched period behind the wheel of his McLaren, but that will not stop him from adopting an all-guns-blazing approach at Silverstone next week. Nine wins and 13 pole positions from 35 races was Hamilton's most astonishing record at the end of his first two years in Formula One that culminated in him winning the World title last year. Few will ever forget the 24-year-old clinching the Championship with a move on Toyota's Timo Glock in the final corner of the final race in Brazil. En route to such heroics was an extraordinary British Grand Prix triumph in front of a sodden, sell-out Silverstone crowd, taking the chequered flag by a phenomenal 68.5 second margin from runner-up Nick Heidfeld. But how fortunes have changed because a year on from a victory he cherishes above all others, Hamilton will be nothing more than an also ran this year given the d...

Tuesday 9th June 2009 Lewis Hamilton believes McLaren's woes are likely to continue at his home grand prix at Silverstone next weekend. Hamilton and his McLaren team had another troublesome weekend in Turkey and he could only muster 13th place on Sunday. Team boss Martin Whitmarsh conceded after the race that Hamilton's Title defence is over. The Brit, who is 52 points behind Brawn GP's Jenson Button in the Drivers' Standings after just seven races, admits things are unlikely to improve for McLaren at next weekend's British Grand Prix. "We fully expect next weekend to be very difficult," he told his official website. "Firstly, Silverstone is one of the fastest courses on the calendar and it's clear that our car doesn't behave well through fast corners. It's also harder to harvest KERS there than at other circuits because there's not too many heavy braking spots - to giv...

Re-published from Planet F1 Tuesday 8th July 2008 Having taken the lead in the standings with his victory in Sunday's British GP, Lewis Hamilton is determined to hold on to win this year's World title. The McLaren driver entered this year's Championship with three goals in mind: win in Monaco, win in Britain and win the World title. Now having achieved two of those he has set his sights on clinching number three, the World title. After nine races the Brit is tied with Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen on 48 points in the Championship. Hamilton, however, takes the lead as even though all his results as the same as Massa's, he has one P10 finish to the Brazilian's DNF. "It is straight back to work for me. I have a World Championship to win," the McLaren driver, who flew to Hockenheim on Monday to take part in a pre-Germany test, told The Sun. "I've ticked off Monaco, I've ticked ...

Congrats to Lewis for winning the British GP with such a commanding lead - 68.5 seconds infront of Heidfeld. Unfortunate for Heikki though. Yesterday's race was the best race of the season so far I think. The rain helped a lot. Actually the rain showed that Lewis is quite good in the wet. And so is Rubens. It was non-stop action all the way and I was glued to the TV. After watching how Lewis drove yesterday and his reaction/demeanour after the race, I saw that he has gone back to his attitude from last year. He was cool, listened to instructions and focused on the bigger picture, which is to finish. He didn't take unnecessary risks though as some points in the race it looked as if he might overdrive again. He didn't have to prove that he was a gung-ho hero of a driver. It's more important to finish and win than do an incredible overtaking move but not finish. I hope he keeps this up. I remember last year 2007 when I sent him off at the airport, I told him just focus on ...

Re-published from Planet F1. Sunday 6th July 2008 McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has hailed Lewis Hamilton's "well disciplined" drive to victory in Sunday's British GP. Having failed to score a single point in his last two race, Hamilton was under pressure to perform at Silverstone, his home race. And rather than buckle under that pressure, Hamilton came to the fore, mastering the wet conditions on the way to his third win of the season. The Brit clinched the victory by 68.5 seconds over second placed Nick Heidfeld, although Dennis reckons he had the pace to go faster if necessary. "It was very disciplined," Dennis told ITV . "We had to really, really keep the pace down. "He could have gone much quicker and the last 15 laps he was complaining at having to drive too slowly. It's very easy to make mistakes in those conditions." The McLaren team boss also reckons Hamilton has...