2022 F1 British GP: Winners and Losers

There were smiles all around when Carlos Sainz bagged his maiden F1 win at the British GP. It was a long time coming for the Spaniard and no one could begrudge him for driving a great race from the first race restart onwards.

The British GP was certainly a spectacle. It had drama, action, and heartbreak in equal measure. So, who will be leaving Silverstone with a smile on their face, and who will be feeling a bit jaded by what transpired? Let's find out!

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Who won and who lost at the 2022 British GP?

Winner

Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz has shown time and again that he is not afraid to speak his mind when it comes to the team's strategies during a race. It was this very characteristic that helped him secure a podium in Monaco and then in the British GP, it was this very thing that helped him secure his maiden F1 victory.

Was the Spaniard the fastest driver in the race? No. However, he was the smartest driver to know when the writing was on the wall after the first pit stop as he let Leclerc go. He knew before the Safety Car restart that a win was on the line and stood his ground with the team. He did a fantastic job at both the restarts and did not let Ferrari use him as a buffer between Leclerc and the other at the Safety Car restart. He knew he had the advantage with those fresh soft tires and told the team to bet on him. He came through with the win.

Loser

Ferrari

It's hard to put a team that just won the race in the losers column, but sadly that is the truth. Today, Ferrari won the race, not because of its strategic acumen, it won the British GP despite it. From reluctance to apply team orders to destroying Charles Leclerc's race with one strategic misstep after the other.

This was one of the rarest of cases where Max Verstappen made a mistake and this was exactly when Ferrari needed to bring some order into the race and ensure Charles Leclerc secured another 25 points in the championship.

Ferrari's lack of decisiveness was astounding for a team that has been notorious for implementing team orders in the past. While everyone can appreciate the Maranello-based team's attempt at being fair towards both its drivers, only time will tell whether it will cost it the 2022 championships.

Winner

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez was forced to pit early in the race due to a damaged wing. What he was able to achieve after that is another reason why Red Bull has extended the Mexican's contract for another two years. Perez's drive exemplified his race craft as not only did he pick one driver after another off, but he also sneaked upon the frontrunners during the Safety Car restart.

His overtakes on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were not only decisive, they were bold as well. The Red Bull driver, in a normal race, will more often than not fall behind Max Verstappen, but at the British GP, he drove like a true championship contender.

Loser

Charles Leclerc

Max Verstappen scored six points for the British GP. Ideally, if Ferrari had worked like a well-oiled machine, then Charles Leclerc would have scored 25 points today and closed the lead in the championship by 19 points, or scored a podium, at the very least. As it turned out, Leclerc went home with 12 points and a meager six-point swing in his favor.

Charles Leclerc might have some serious questions that he would need answering from Ferrari after the British GP because if he does not act now, it will be too late in the championship. The trust between the team and the driver has taken a pounding this weekend and the next few races will be critical not only to rebuild that trust but to also keep Leclerc in the championship fight.

Winner

Mick Schumacher

There were reports circulating about Mick Schumacher's future earlier in the weekend and according to those reports, the German had four races to score points, or else the team might start looking elsewhere.

If the stipulation was true, then at the end of the British GP, Mick Schumacher might just have secured himself a drive for 2023. Keeping that aside, the most important aspect of the race was not the result because any driver could score a fortuitous points finish in F1. The most important aspect was the apparent edge he had over his teammate for the entirety of the race.

Mick shadowed Kevin in the early stages of the race, but once he was unleashed, he never looked back and ended up outpacing his teammate. A strong result for the youngster, one that should be used as a building block by him.

Loser

Mercedes

It was an impressive weekend from Mercedes, when the team fought for the win with Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel. The car was extremely competitive. But if there was one thing that was evident if one tried to focus on, it was the fact that Mercedes still lacks a few tenths when it comes to fighting the cars of Leclerc and Verstappen.

The very reason why Lewis Hamilton was able to close the gap to the Ferrari pair in the first stint was because both the drivers lost time fighting against each other. If that had not been the case and Leclerc had been allowed to go past, we might not have even seen Lewis Hamilton get the chance to be in contention for the win.

However, one cannot ignore the fact that the German team certainly made big strides forward this weekend. It could have possibly had a big result had Russell not DNFd early in the race. It will be interesting to see how far up the grid Mercedes can get this season.

Catch F1 next in Styria for the Austrian GP on Sunday, July 10, 2022.