During Sunday's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Max Verstappen led Red Bull to their first Silverstone victory in nearly a decade, ending a drought that lasted since 2012. Not only was this his ninth career win, but it also marked his first time visiting the top step of the podium in 2020. The result was the product of exceptional tactical planning by the Red Bull team, which proved sufficient to overcome the speed of the Mercedes duo.
Red Bull’s driver Max Verstappen gave his team their first victory at Silverstone since 2012 on Sunday during the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. This was Max Verstappen’s first win in the year of 2020 and his 9th career win. This win was made possible from some great decisions that were made by the Red Bull team which made it possible for Verstappen to beat both the Mercedes automobiles.
During his post-race interview, Verstappen gave full credit to his team for the strategic call to use hard tires. This proved to be the winning move, as his main competitors, Hamilton and Bottas, were struggling on medium tires. Verstappen emphasized that Red Bull's performance was impeccable, with every move executed exactly as planned.
Verstappen took the checkered flag 11.326 seconds ahead of the reigning champion, Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes still walked away with a strong podium presence, taking second and third places. Valtteri Bottas had actually started the race in the lead after securing pole position on Saturday. However, the dynamic shifted late in the race when Hamilton managed to pass Bottas for second. When discussing the unexpected tire degradation, Verstappen mentioned that while the issues caught him by surprise, his team's ability to adapt quickly was what ultimately put him in the lead.
While both Mercedes drivers suffered from similar tire problems, they were unable to find an effective solution, which ultimately cost them another consecutive win at Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton described the event as a massive challenge for everyone involved and commended Red Bull for managing the crisis more effectively. He expressed surprise at the sudden appearance of blisters on the tires, especially given the previous week's data. Despite the struggle, this podium finish was historic for Hamilton, as he tied Michael Schumacher's record of 155 career podiums. In a dramatic turn of events, Hamilton actually suffered a puncture in his front-left tire on the final lap while leading; however, he managed to limp across the line to secure the win regardless.
Despite the advantage of starting from pole position, Valtteri Bottas was disappointed to finish third. He expressed frustration with the team's lack of alertness at key moments and felt that his overall race strategy was far from ideal.