Battery simulations show Lewis Hamilton can forget about winning the British Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence at Ferrari will naturally have fans dreaming of a famous win at the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Hamilton arrives at his home race on arguably his best run of form since 2021, when he last fought for a title. Even though his three-race podium streak ended in Austria, he once again outclassed teammate Charles Leclerc in the race en route to P5.

Hamilton has nine victories at Silverstone – the most for any driver at a single circuit – but it’s difficult to see how he reaches double figures in a dry race.

Who will benefit the most at Silverstone if Lewis Hamilton’s wish for rain comes true? 🌧️

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Ferrari’s deployment weakness will be exposed once again at British Grand Prix

Data from the Red Bull Ring shows that Ferrari were ‘routinely’ 20kph down on their rivals on the approach to turn four, a sign that they were running out of electrical energy (via The Race).

Ferrari brought their first power unit upgrade to Austria but this was still a circuit that exposed their shortcomings. They are clearly a step behind Mercedes and Red Bull when it comes to harvesting and deployment.

And worryingly, former F1 engineer Gary Anderson writes in a column for The Telegraph that Silverstone will be ‘one of the worst tracks’ of the year for energy management. With so few significant braking zones, it will be extremely difficult to charge the battery.

Let’s hear your podium predictions for the British Grand Prix 🍾

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Silverstone is one of the fastest tracks on the calendar but both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc can expect to lose crucial lap time at the end of the Wellington and Hangar Straights, incidentally the two main overtaking spots on race day. The flat-out blasts to Village and Copse will also be a concern.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen tested the RB22’s deployment on the simulator and ‘started laughing’.

“It felt like a different track, to be honest,” he said on Sunday. “You barely have battery around the lap. It’s just constantly flat.”

• READ MORE: Karun Chandhok saw what happened to Lewis Hamilton’s tyres after just 20 miles at Austrian GP

Verstappen added: “You have long straights but in a fast corner, for example, so you can’t really charge the batteries, and then the next straight you don’t have a lot to spend. It’s going to be a tough one.”

Hamilton has said he would welcome rain and it’s easy to understand why. He needs the conditions to level the playing field, otherwise he’s going to be at a clear mechanical disadvantage.