Live text
Formula 1
British GP
2015 British Grand Prix Sunday - British GP
Live AppleTV Race Audio
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
Live Text
Sort by
Hamilton just holds off Perez into Village as he leaves the pits. That would have been costly if he'd fallen behind the Force India.
Raikkonen has got ahead of Ericsson. Vettel's ahead now as well.
Hamilton switches to the hard tyre. Now, what will the other three players in the lead battle do?
Hulkenberg stops from fifth.
Here comes the world champion, in at the end of lap 19.
Hamilton is told to pit.
Raikkonen's just caught Ericsson's Sauber, which has delayed his charge slightly and Vettel's quite close behind now. Kvyat rejoins a few seconds behind Vettel in the second Ferrari.
"The last lap was the closest I've been" - Hamilton.
Bottas feints to the inside into Stowe this time, but it's too little, too late, and Massa easily has it covered. Hamilton is keeping a watching brief behind, surely waiting for the team-mates ahead to either trip over each other or make a pitstop.
We've not seen any more of the Mercedes mechanics since that pretend attempt to get ready for a stop a few laps ago.
We've not seen any more of the Mercedes mechanics since that pretend attempt to get ready for a stop a few laps ago.
Kvyat stops from sixth in the Red Bull.
Alonso stops for the second time in the McLaren. He rejoins in 14th.
Since stopping for new hard tyres, Raikkonen and Vettel have been a second quicker than Hulkenberg and Kvyat on used mediums.
The cars involved are performing at different levels, obviously, but might this be interesting information for Williams and Mercedes?
The cars involved are performing at different levels, obviously, but might this be interesting information for Williams and Mercedes?
Bottas almost gets alongside at Stowe this time, having a look around the outside. That move doesn't quite look like it's on to us, but with Massa covering the inside Bottas has little choice.
Massa's wide line in Luffield - which is deliberate - keeps inviting Bottas to have a look in the middle of the corner, but he always gets a better exit.
Stopwatch
Vettel's taken the fastest lap away from his team-mate with a 1m38.520s.
It's been a while since Bottas has got close enough with DRS to force Massa to defend into Stowe. He's always very close out of Stowe, but it's too late by then to have any chance of snatching the lead.
Stopwatch
Raikkonen does a 1m38.954s, that's the new fastest lap of the race. Fifth will be his when Hulkenberg and Kvyat stop.
Raikkonen and Vettel lighting up the timing screens, trading purple sectors down in 9th and 10th.
Raikkonen has told they are still on 'plan A'.
Raikkonen has told they are still on 'plan A'.
The top four cars are covered by 2.1s: Massa, Bottas, Hamilton, Rosberg. Lap 16/52.
Vettel stops in the second Ferrari - as Raikkonen goes purple in sector two. Surely the Finn will take fifth from Hulkenberg when the German stops, because the Force India's still on track.
And neither Mercedes driver comes in. The mechanics go back, and the plan failed because Williams didn't react.
Mercedes mechanics in the pits...
Raikkonen blinks first in the fight for fifth and pits in the Ferrari.
Bottas doesn't attack into Stowe this time, so no need for Massa to defend the lead.
Rosberg, without a threat from behind, keeps dropping back from the lead trio and then very quickly closing back in on them. A bit of tyre protection and proving a point, perhaps.
Sainz takes on a set of hard tyres as well.
Incidentally Alonso switched to hards when he stopped for a new wing at the end of the first lap.
Incidentally Alonso switched to hards when he stopped for a new wing at the end of the first lap.
Sainz is told to box from P10.
P4 Rosberg joins the party, lapping 0.3s quicker than Massa to get onto Hamilton's tail.
Ricciardo's in the pits on lap 12. He takes on a set of hard-compound Pirellis.
Not this time. Massa defends again into Stowe. Nervous times for Williams, with Hamilton closing back up. Perhaps Mercedes can sniff that Williams isn't sure how to manage the race at this stage.
"It has to be a very clean move and you have to pull away when in front," Bottas is told. Here we go then?
Bottas is told not to race Massa again, but he's saying he can get the move done on the backstraight (with DRS).
Didn't take Vettel long to get onto the back of the fight for fifth, and now it's four cars squabbling for that spot. Perez has fallen back.
Bottas pulls alongside Massa with DRS into Stowe, and Massa defends again. That doesn't look like "pull away together" to us!
EDD STRAW: "Williams really doesn't need its two drivers to battle. Their scrap has allowed Hamilton to close into DRS range. The pair need to work together - but if Bottas is faster, it would make sense for him to be ahead. Team will have the data to make the call on that."
The Williams drivers are instructed not to race each other and to "pull away together". The way that was put to Bottas, it very much sounded like he was told not to attack Massa, rather than it being a message that Massa should let him by.
The 'aero' nature of this track will make it hard for Hamilton and Rosberg to spend too long in the dirty air of Massa and Bottas, so this shouldn't be a simple case of cruising up behind the slower cars and going by.
Hulkenberg holding fifth for now ahead of Raikkonen but Kvyat has broken the gap to Perez and is now close to the Ferrari.
Vettel has got ahead of Perez at the start of this lap. He's now eighth.
Vettel has got ahead of Perez at the start of this lap. He's now eighth.
1.2s covers the top three now - Rosberg is one second further back.
Oh dear, Massa is defending against Bottas. Hamilton's eyes will be lighting up.
By: Scott Mitchell, Glenn Freeman, Lawrence Barretto, Edd Straw
Published:
Lap:
