British GP: Why Was Hamilton Awarded ‘Pirelli Speed King Award’ & Why Are Fans Mocking It?

Lewis Hamilton blitzed his way to becoming the fastest driver on the grid during Qualifying at the British GP. What’s impressive is that the Briton ousted the ever-persistent threat from Max Verstappen to secure P1 by an extremely fine margin.

However, despite securing first place in the qualifying session, the 7-time world champion did not receive the classic ‘tire’ trophy, normally depicting the award for pole position.

Instead, F1 unveiled a newer version of an award called the Pirelli Speed King award, which went into the hands of Hamilton for the first time ever.

What’s more, Hamilton also got himself onto the history books with this qualifying session. Of course, it is quite a unique record that Hamilton managed to break, and the fans can’t help but make a mockery of it.

The 7-time world champion now has more Pirelli Speed King awards than Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Juan Manuel Fangio, combined.

Why didn’t Lewis Hamilton receive the usual F1 pole position award?

Well, it’s quite simple. None of the drivers were technically fighting for the pole position, as the past qualifying sessions had suggested. Instead, the drivers were just battling hard to secure a commendable position to start from over the sprint race.

And the winner of the sprint race will subsequently be hailed as the pole man. Of course, this sounds quite unusual and confusing.

But, Rules suggest that the session before the main race decides the starting grid, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be the qualifying session. Hence, F1 opted to switch the sprint race with qualifying.

Read More: Why Do Mercedes Dominate F1?

What to expect from Saturday’s sprint race at the British GP?

Considering how the sprint race could play a role in setting the grid for Sunday’s race, there is no denying that the 30-minute session is going to be eventful.

The drivers will have nothing to worry about, as any kind of management is off the table, including fuel and tires. Hence, the fans will potentially get to see the drivers at their best, pushing their cars to the absolute limit over each and every lap.

Who knows? This could even remind us of the golden eras of F1. But, of course, the biggest question is, who is going to become the first-ever sprint race winner? Only time will tell.

Watch Story: What Are Sprint Races & Where Will They Be Held?