Carlos Sainz, 27, grabbed the first Formula 1 win of his career in a race that offered major drama at the Silverstone track. Sergio Perez (32) was second and Lewis Hamilton (37) third.

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Ferrari’s Sainz has finished second five times, and in his 150th Formula 1 race, it was finally a victory for the Spaniard. He was 3.7 seconds ahead of Perez (Red Bull) and 6.2 seconds ahead of Hamilton (Mercedes).

– Wow! Wow! We did it. Yes. We did it, Sainz shouted on the radio to the Ferrari team as soon as we crossed the finish line.

– Thank you for all. My first win in Formula 1. And with Ferrari. You can’t imagine how it feels. And at Silverstone, he continued emotionally.

But judging by the radio messages that came in, it wasn’t all the jokes and laughter between the Ferrari management and the two drivers along the way. There were several times during the discussion between Charles Leclerc and the depot whether Sainz should accept the team’s orders to let Leclerc go through.

ride

Then Sainz was ordered to give Leclerc ten cars away when the safety car left the track – and thus hindered the competitors. Sainz said no to that. And just drive to victory.

– Had Sainz followed Ferrari’s orders, they might have lost everything. Then Perez or Hamilton will win, says Thomas Schie at studio Viaplay.

Lewis Hamilton tricked Sainz for the best lap time at the end, but Sainz didn’t care:

– He can have it. I don’t care. I don’t care.

– It was incredible. First win after 150 races. Silverstone is special to me. “I couldn’t ask for more,” said the winner in an interview with Jenson Button afterwards.

Charles Leclerc was “only” fourth, and either way, this is good news for overall leader Max Verstappen, who finished 7th after experiencing problems with his car.

– Error

– A mistake by Ferrari, both Henning Isdal and Thomas Schie at studio Viaplay believe that Ferrari did not bring in Leclerc for a tire change under the safety car.

– Too bad they screwed it up for Leclerc, said Schie in the studio.

– I think the debriefing at Ferrari will heat up, said Isdal.

In an interview with Viaplay after the race, Leclerc did not criticize Ferrari’s management. But soon after crossing the finish line, Leclerc and team manager Mattia Binotto spoke seriously beyond the microphone.

– It depends on the type of contract the drivers have, former world champion Mika Häkkinen said on Viaplay when asked about the drama surrounding Sainz and Leclerc. In other words: Has it been decided who will be the “first driver” and “second driver”?

Great crash

It all started violently and dramatically then Zhou Guanyu fell hard at the start, in addition to the protesters descending to the track itself. The 23-year-old appeared to have escaped unharmed, and after an hour’s rest the race could finally start.

Sportingly, there was also more than enough drama for the 140,000 spectators at the legendary Silverstone.

VG LIVE: Update of dramatic race

– I think this is the best Formula 1 race I’ve ever seen, exclaimed Viaplay commentator Atle Gulbrandsen with six laps remaining.

World champion Verstappen took the lead after ten laps when he passed Carlos Sainz starting from pole position.

But just a few laps later, the Dutchman had a big problem with his car and had no chance of fighting for the top spot.

For Hamilton

Hamilton has had a very frustrating season so far, and has struggled desperately with his Mercedes. Finally he sprinted and sniffed the victory.

– Unique silverstone. I gave it all today. I tried to take the Ferraris. It’s a big bonus for us to be on the podium. “We’ll keep pushing,” Hamilton said after 3rd place.

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For the first time since the last race last year, Hamilton took the lead when Leclerc had to change tires after 25 laps. Leclerc rode with a damaged front wing early in the race.

Hamilton took a very long time before changing his tires, and when he did after 33 laps, the Mercedes team took too long.

The question is whether Hamilton should have been given the soft tyre, and when he came out again on the track he was four or five seconds behind the two Ferraris.

Wild ending

But when Esteban Ocon’s engine stopped after 39 laps, the safety car had to drop onto the track, and that was a huge advantage for Hamilton who, with Sainz, got out quickly and switched to the soft tyre, while Leclerc continued on the hard tyre.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez also entered the fight for victory.

There is a full argument in the Ferrari team about the strategy going forward. Sainz wasn’t happy with leading the team as the race restarted. Perez quickly passed Hamilton, and there was a crazy punch ahead.

Sainz received a clear message from team management at Ferrari that he should try to create a gap behind team-mate Leclerc, but he refused to do so.

Perez, Hamilton, Sainz, Peres, Hamilton took turns leading, but Sainz pulled out and secured the win.

Verstappen finished seventh.