Whilst pleased to see Kimi Räikkönen finish eighth and secure four valuable World Championship points at Silverstone, Alfa Romeo Racing team principal Frédéric Vasseur was disappointed to see team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi spin out of the race early.
Giovinazzi appeared to suffer a mechanical issue as he ended up in the gravel trap, ending his chances of a strong result, but Vasseur was at least heartened by Räikkönen’s strong performance, with the Finn climbing from twelfth on the grid to claim his seventh top ten result of the season and his third in as many races.
Vasseur was pleased with Räikkönen’s points-scoring run and the ability for the team to fight for points amid the ultra-tight midfield battle, but losing Giovinazzi, who was running relatively close to his team-mate when his race ended in the gravel trap, was disappointing.
“Bringing home four points is a good result but it’s always a bit disappointing when one car doesn’t see the chequered flag,” said Vasseur. “Overall it was a good team performance: Kimi drove a solid race and was able to make the most of the opportunities that came his way.
“Antonio would have been close to him, but unfortunately a mechanical issue meant his race ended in a gravel trap. Once again, we were able to fight in the midfield but we still need to work hard to retain the ground we made up.”
Alfa Romeo remain sixth in the Constructors’ Championship after the British Grand Prix on twenty-six points, but they lost ground on the fifth placed Renault F1 Team, who saw both Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hülkenberg score points to increase their advantage over the Italian outfit to thirteen points.
The team did however increase their own advantage over the seventh placed Racing Point F1 Team, with seven points now separating the two teams heading into the German Grand Prix weekend.
