Silverstone hosts British GP amid dark clouds

For Formula 1 drivers and teams, it is always a special moment to return to Silverstone. Nearly all of the teams have their headquarters within a few kilometers of the old British airfield, where the RAF planes flew to fight the Nazis in World War II. This is always a welcome home. There is a lot of noise from the background this year as they make their comeback. It should have been a week where there was discussion about Max Verstappen's great chance to deliver another devastating blow to his championship hopes. Perhaps Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc could reply. Instead, there have been statements from Nelson Piquet, three-time world champion of the 80s. These statements have caused rivers of ink to run.

Nelson Piquet used the word "black" in November's interview. It is unclear if this was intended to refer to Lewis Hamilton. This has caused a wave solidarity towards Hamilton, who isn't having his best sporting moment. Through Formula 1, through his teammates and their teams, everyone has expressed their support for the British driver and their resolve to fight racism. There has been little to no discussion about the win in 2021, and the circumstances that led to it. This includes a controversial accident that left Max Verstappen in hospital.

Verstappen's girlfriend Verstappen was also involved in a dispute with Piquet who has been deposed. The British GP this year is a great venue for teams to present a package of updates that will help them not only gain reliability but also end the dreaded porpoising'. The regulations that were put in place to address this problem have not been accepted by anyone. Although the FIA has offered to allow teams to retouch what is visible, it is already too late.

Red Bull, especially in the case Maranello's case, has been unable to escape because teams like Alpine and Mercedes brought many pieces to Silverstone. Carlos Sainz, just like in previous appointments, wants to give the bell... even though he knows he's being criticised more and more. He is unhappy with the lack of great results. Having it in Great Britain would be a historic moment for him. He is not only happy to win F1 but he knows what it will do for his morale. "More than winning races, I'm trying to get back into the fight in my head. My goals are to finish on the podium in all remaining races, and win the first time. I don't think it is important to focus on the World Championship now. He stated that he prefers to go back to the consistency of Carlos, which has been evident over the years in Formula 1.

Alpine is one of the most surprising teams with its recent updates. Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Esteban Ocon will be driving this weekend's car. It will feature a swimming pool on top of its pontoons in the same style as Ferrari. It is an important weekend for the Enstone team. McLaren and others have given up on 2022, and are focusing their efforts on next season. Alpine has focused on improving two crucial points: reliability and competition in the race. They look good on one lap, which allows them into the top ten for each GP. But when it comes to the race, they sink. This is unacceptable because Alonso acknowledges that "the potential" is there.

This weekend will be for the Spanish rider. It will be a weekend where things must be in order after what happened in Canada. He lost an opportunity to get into the top 5. The tone of the year has been mixed. "So far it's been a mixed year for me. We've been in the top 10, and sometimes higher on some occasions, especially over one lap. We have not had the best luck in 2022. There have been reliability issues, as well as incidents caused by poor timing and safety cars. We know there is much more to come, but we are still not done. "I am already excited to watch how it will turn out in the next races," Alonso said before the dispute over the grand prize.