Relative gaps and stint average in 2021 British Grand Prix. Relative gaps and stint average in Silverstone.

When Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc took the lead of the 2021 British Grand Prix on the first lap, the first thought was that very soon he would be attacked and easily passed by Lewis Hamilton, but lap after lap a very different situation began to take shape. The medium tire worked well on the SF21, better than on any other car. Looking at the relative gap graph, it is particularly evident:

In the first stint it is clear how Charles Leclerc finds a faster pace than the whole group. Hamilton initially keeps up, and gets very close again when the “engine cut” problems begin on the Ferrari number 16 (Ferrari managed the emergency in a perfect way, both from a concrete point of view by solving the issue and from a psychological point of view by keeping the driver calm, as Charles was understandably worried), but in the final stint, from lap 23 onwards, Ferrari was indeed a real surprise. Hamilton is not able to keep up, Charles Leclerc begins to create a small gap, reaching 2 and a half seconds with the Ferrari giving the full impression of still having some more pace. In fact, Charles Leclerc can comfortably wait for lap 29 for his pit without any loss of performance (the red line never tends to bend downwards but, on the contrary, points more and more upwards).

When Hamilton stops in the pits he has to serve the penalty and ends up behind Norris and his teammate Bottas. But the pace of the British driver from here on is on a whole other level. On hard tires, the number 44 W12 seems to come to life. Compared to the rest of the group, Charles Leclerc’s pace remains excellent, it’s Hamilton’s who becomes unstoppable. You can see how Hamilton’s line points upwards practically throughout the stint with a slope that no one else on the track has, not even his teammate, who in fact has a pace that is never so superior to Charles as to worry the Ferrari driver. The Monegasque driver does what he can with a masterful race to say the least, conducted for all laps, opportunistic at the beginning, very fast, able to manage the tires perfectly, without making any mistakes.