We returned to the home of motor racing, the birthplace of legendary moments and the tavern of ever-changing weather conditions. Lando fans dominated the grandstands as the drivers settled in with the fast and slow corners of the Silverstone circuit, each named after the famous ‘Bandra cafes’ or at least, sounds that way for sure. The paddock was buzzing with the Max to Mercedes rumour while Christian Horner ran his delulu train, stating Oscar Piastri as the best fit for his ‘PLAN B’ if (and when) Max leaves. Fortunately, he got humble pretty quick seeing the terrible car performance on Friday. The only person having a worse weekend was George Russell, between the Max to Mercedes rumours and Lando's neon green army swallowing all the Russell fans (if there were any in the first place).

Ferrari fans were running on ultimate hopium all through the build-up to the weekend as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set the track blazing during Free Practice, fighting neck-to-neck with McLaren and seeming very much in the mix for pole position. Chances of rain were looming over the drivers all the time but we all know, no wet track could break Franco (DRY TRACK ITSELF WAS QUITE ENOUGH FOR THAT), as he found himself spinning on the last corner during his Q1 lap. The final session of qualifying had the usual suspects auctioning for the pole, and it was then that Ferrari ‘Ferraried’ and a mistake from both drivers lost them the fight for the front row. Just when we thought it was another McLaren pole battle, Max decided to come alive and drag his soap box to the pole with what could have been called the lap of ages, only if Max hadn’t done it twice already in this very season. Oscar beat Lando to the front row, and a slow Red Bull in front of the two McLarens is all we needed for a spicy British GP.

SO WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID YOU… WHEN DID YOU….?

It is a certainty that no one would be able to summarise the events of the race in the correct order or how it unfolded the way it did, and that is all we need to know to gauge how chaotic this race was. From the chaotic start, where Charles and Russell jumped straight into a gamble by peeling into the pits and switching to slick while the last one-third of the track was still too wet, to the nerve-wrecking start with Max just about keeping the lead from Oscar, to the series of safety car as the rookies were bound to fall like a house of cards with the fewest drops of rain on track. It seemed like the British fans almost spawned another safety car which landed him the controversial 10-second penalty. I think the next thing all of us remember is praying for Nico’s podium as he put up the battle of his life to keep Lewis Hamilton, in a Ferrari, at bay. The result of all this chaos? The podium consisted of an elated Lando Norris, after winning his home Grand Prix, an upset Oscar Piastri and a relieved Nico Hulkenberg getting his first podium ever. (Daniel Ricciardo must be screaming out his name somewhere.)

SO MUCH TO PLAY FOR, for the drivers and for us fans as Belgian GP weekend draws in and so does the Grid Master Belgin GP Contest! Championship on the table for two McLaren boys with Oscar in his ‘Villain Era’ and a memorable trip to Qatar on the table for lucky fans throught the OFF 2 QATAR Contest and Fan Championship Contest. Will it be a McLaren domination yet again or the track would give Mercedes a sniff like last time? Will Ferrari show-up finally or will Max make this his playground? So many questions to be answered and even more points and rewards to be earned. So put your passion, skill and intuition on the show and win big on this weekend Belgian GP Contest only on the Grid Master app.

As a motorsport fan, these are the stories we live and die for. Days like these, moments like these, the perfect film story, isn’t it? (Better than the movie, they say.) Many legends of this sport will attest to the prospect of Nico Hulkenberg, as he rose through the ranks, he was no less than your ‘Verstappens, Russells and Leclercs’. We have all seen those amazing Nico weekends since last year, and we have all known about the performance he has in him, and it was always gonna take that one chaotic race with changing conditions to put him in the mix. No wonder he single-handedly stole the limelight from Lando, winning on his home turf as the fans all across the world and on the track were begging for this podium for Nico from destiny itself. After the longest period of despair, countless starts, lows and highs, Nico Hulkenberg has checked the box of podium and silenced the infamous stat about him for once and forever.

How can a season be so chaotic and yet be the dominant era of a legend? How can the races have the same faces on the front and oftentimes in the same order, and yet be a banger, one after the other? Most people can’t figure it out, and if you do, be sure to participate in the upcoming Grid Master’s German GP contest and bet on your love, understanding, intuition and passion for the ultimate two-wheeler motorsport as it travels to race under the clear blue skies of Germany on a rather challenging track. Will it be the same old result again or could this be the outlier? The Chaos agent? The one to remember? Play it how you like it, set your perfect team and compete against others to rise to the top and win big and make this weekend yours with the German GP contest only on Grid Master!

By now, we must find ourselves frustrated by the  McLaren domination, the invincible pace, the back-to-back perfect weekends and no wrinkles left to iron. It’s tough to see the glimmer of hope right now but this might be a blessing in disguise. We all know what it looks like once Red Bull has got a dominating car, and if Mercedes had the upper hand this year, we all know how it would have played out between George Russell (having the season of his life) and a rookie. If any one team had to dominate, it needed to be between McLaren and Ferrari, and knowing Ferrari, McLaren it was! With two equally matched drivers, giving it everything in each weekend, having one hand on the championship trophy and not afraid to battle. Remember the papaya rules, the very ones which had several memes and jokes made on its expense, well it is now those papaya rules that are saving our life by allowing Lando and Oscar to battle till death, giving us the only source of action in most races and if this continues, we are set for a beautiful battle all through the season.

The E-prix setting is only starting to get more and more heated as we proceed ever closer to the climax of a fantastic battle all the way through! From amazing overtakes in the rain to great strategies on a dry track, this campaign of electric motor racing is having it all and amidst this very chaos, stand the chance to win big with Grid Master’s Berlin E-prix contest. Go crazy or play it safe, go all in your intuition or spread your eggs wisely, play it bold or play it on passion. It is your track now and set the grid as you desire and steal the chance to outsmart everyone else and to make it on top spot of the podium by particpating for the upcoming E-prix contest, only on Grid Master!

Keep an eye out for something insane, as a major Surprise Contest is coming in for the Belgian racing weekend to take the racing spirit full swing on the much-loved track that has produced some great moments in the past!

Stay tuned!!!

PAPAYA GALLAGHERS

Presenting a brand new section of your much-loved newsletter, called DID YOU KNOW? A segment where we take random, interesting, shocking facts, trivia and stories, realising how they painted the motorsport world, how we now see and love!

This race saw a weird strategy decision at play with George Russell and Charles Leclerc peeling into the pit after the formation lap to change their tires. The big question is: CAN THEY DO THAT? Well, actually, YES, yes they can, they can change their tires anytime after setting the car on track, the only difference, if the change is done before the 5 red lights go off and the Grand Prix is go, the drivers will be required to do a pit-lane start instead of a normal grid start from their qualifying positions.