Keanu Reeves' Brawn GP documentary - what you missed at the 2022 British GP

Keanu Reeves is documenting Brawn GP's championship-winning year, Max Verstappen's hopes of a win were ended by AlphaTauri, while protestors were left raging at an empty track

Keanu Reeves in the Silverstone paddock at the 2022 British Grand Prix

Keanu Reeves in the Silverstone paddock

If you couldn’t take your eyes off the action during the British Grand Prix, then you weren’t alone.

From Zhou Guanyu‘s astonishing escape to the leaders’ changing fortunes mid-race and the almighty battle for the podium places at the end, all capped by Carlos Sainz‘s maiden F1 win, it was an historic race.

And there was even more going on beyond the fight for victory. Here are the bits you may have missed from the British Grand Prix

 

Keanu Reeves to star in a Brawn GP documentary 

CEL

Jenson Button won six of the first seven races en route to winning the 2009 world championship

Silverstone was so awash with celebrities over the British Grand Prix weekend that Keanu Reeves could almost have gone unnoticed.

But Martin Brundle, brandishing his Sky Sports microphone, didn’t let the Speed actor slip under the radar on Saturday.

The Hollywood star revealed that he is in the process of making a documentary on Brawn GP‘s fairytale 2009 season.

From the depths of Honda‘s withdrawal at the end of 2008 which left staff, including Jenson Button, jobless, Ross Brawn bought the team, resumed work on the 2009 car and discovered that Honda had bequeathed a winner.

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“We want to tell that amazing, remarkable story,” said Reeves, who was hosted by Ross Brawn, now F1 managing director of motor sports. “There is so much to talk about from the outside, a friend of me was telling me the story and I was so struck by it.

“So we were like, ‘let’s tell that story’ and it’s been really great to be able to learn more about what was going on in Formula 1 that year.

“It wasn’t just the cars, new regulations, FOTA [Formula One Teams Association] the breakaway series, there was just so much happening in F1 at that time.

“The world of F1 was just extraordinary, it’s always extraordinary, but in that year with Brawn GP, I think something really special happened.”

Reeves has been spending time with Button to prepare for the documentary, which doesn’t yet have a release date.

 

AlphaTauri caused Max Verstappen damage

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Yuki Tsunoda spun into Pierre Gasly at Village

He may have missed out on pole — more of which later — but Max Verstappen looked ready to disappear into the distance at the British Grand Prix, as soon as he got the opportunity.

That moment came when Perez ran wide on lap 10 and Verstappen powered past, down the Hangar Straight.

But just two laps later, the Red Bull slowed and Sainz regained the lead, shortly followed by team-mate Leclerc.

Verstappen had around a 20% loss of downforce

The cameras didn’t pick up the expressions in the Red Bull garage when Christian Horner & co realised that the sister team was to blame.

Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly’s clash at the Village Loop left a shower of carbon fibre on the track and Verstappen could only aim directly at it as he spotted it too late to take avoiding action.

The damage to his floor was so severe that he thought he had a puncture and pitted but this was no quick fix. “The car is 100% broken” was Verstappen’s verdict when he got back on track.

After the race, any hope that Tsunoda and Gasly would escape the wrath of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko evaporated, when Horner pulled out his phone and showed journalists a picture of Verstappen holding the AlphaTauri debris that had been wedged in the floor.

He said that Verstappen had around a 20% loss of downforce which makes his seventh place all the more creditable.

 

Protestors invade an empty circuit

After getting wind of a plan to protest on track during the Grand Prix, Northamptonshire Police pointed out the life-threatening repercussions of walking in front of cars travelling at 200mph.

It didn’t register with a group of anti-oil protestors who plotted to gain international TV exposure by sitting in the middle of the Wellington Straight at the start of the race.

Footage from a spectator shows their plan unfolding.

Perhaps their slow progress across the grass was trepidation, or maybe confusion as the cars trundled by under red flag conditions, the race already disrupted by the collision between George Russell and Zhou Guanyu.

As the cars filed into the pits, marshals dragged the protestors to the side of the circuit where officers met them.

Police announced seven arrests as a result, with the protestors taken into custody.

“Everyone has the right to speak out on issues, but no one has the right to put lives in danger,” said Stefano Domenicali, F1 CEO. “The actions of a small group of people today were completely irresponsible and dangerous.”

 

Mick Schumacher’s post-race radio

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Mick Schumacher’s future in F1 is under threat but his P8 in Silverstone should go along way to staying on the grid

At long last, Mick Schumacher has scored points in F1 after 31 races and his post-race radio was some of the most heartwarming stuff one will hear.

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Firstly, he was congratulated by his race engineer Gary Gannon, then team boss Guenther Steiner jumped on thanking him and praising such a fantastic drive, before his sister Gina Schumacher rounded it off.

An elated Gina could not hold back her excitement enthusiastically saying: “Hey Mick, super, super, super, super.”

A clearly relieved Mick responded expressively — so much so that it was bleeped out — before continuing: “Finally, I told you guys this is the weekend, oh my God! You guys are brilliant, prove them wrong and believe in yourself.”

Now with points on the board, will Schumacher kick on and secure his spot on the 2023 F1 grid?

 

Leclerc’s qualifying favour to Sainz

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It is now five races without a podium for Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz may owe his Silverstone pole position to a bizarre error by team-mate Charles Leclerc.

As the clock ran down in Q3, Verstappen was on a flying lap and looked set to challenge Sainz’s time. At least until Leclerc spun at Chapel which meant the Red Bull driver had to back off.

This cost him “three or four tenths” according to Horner, and footage has now emerged of Leclerc’s textbook 360-degree rotation, which he gracefully controlled before continuing where he left off.

https://twitter.com/f1ciase/status/1543424675921141760

 

F1 merchandise shortage

We’re seeing drivers fight on track for race wins; fans can become hooked by Drive to Survive and follow the latest action on social media; and races are still popping up in new locations.

It has all helped to drive a surge in popularity that even F1 is struggling to keep up with. Esteban Gutierrez was at Silverstone driving hot laps for guests around the circuit, while taking a break from his burgeoning business empire, which include the rights to sell F1 memorabilia in Latin America.

“The biggest problem is the supply chain,” he said. “There’s Drive to Survive and a lot of new lifestyle fans who want to buy memorabilia. We can’t get enough on the shelves. Covid hasn’t helped either.”

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