In the Mirrors: British GP

It's been an interesting weekend. The politics rage on, Silverstone could be here for 2010, and Michael Schumacher is the stig. Oh, and a Formula One race took place at some point as well. So lets take a look at what happened near the back.

Once again there was lots of action towards the back of the grid, with BMW and McLaren slipping backwards once more. Not exactly a classic British Grand Prix, and as it's the first one I haven't been to in about five years, I think that was for the best.

Session one of qualifying proved to be dramatic, with Lewis Hamilton being eliminated in 19th position. Despite Adrian Sutil's hefty crash towards the end of the session, ruining any chance Hamilton had of making the top 15, he admitted he probably wouldn't have made it anyway. McLaren still have a lot of work to do with that car.

Both of Force India's cars missed out on session two, which was disappointing as with the numerous upgrades introduced for Silverstone, they were expected to do a bit better. However, it never helps when brake failure sends one of your cars into the wall at about 170 mph.

Both BMW's, Heikki Kovalainen, Nelson Piquet and Felipe Massa all went out in session two—last years pole sitter qualifying in 14th place. I keep saying this, but it really is strange seeing Ferrari's, BMWs, and McLaren's unable to make the top 10.

As the race got underway, Heikki Kovalainen somehow ended up right at the back of the pack, with the rest of the lap passing without incident. Jenson Button slips back to ninth after being held up by Jarno Trulli, which I believe is the furthest down the field he has been this season. Not bad for your worst race of the year.

The main action at the back of the grid came from the battle for 12th place, with Nick Heidfeld at the front of an increasingly long queue. With typical German politeness, Nick refuses a new front wing, meaning that the group is now over 20 seconds behind 11th placed Giancarlo Fisichella.

Despite Heidfeld's problems, Fernando Alonso is simply unable to get past, as his Renault cannot find enough grip to make a decent attempt at an overtake. Kubica and Hamilton have a similar battle just behind them, with similar results.

The pit stops take place, and Hamilton gets close to Heidfeld as he rejoins the track, with the two almost touching as they go round Becketts corner. Lewis takes the place, and is now free to catch Alonso.

Fernando goes wide through Luffield, allowing Hamilton the chance to get alongside down the pit straight. As they fly into Copse, Lewis has the inside line and is able to make the move stick, to the delight of the British fans. However, it doesn't last more than a few laps, as Alonso is able to get back past when Hamilton makes a mistake.

Sebastien Bourdais takes the opportunity to drive into the back of Heikki Kovalainen, leaving debris all over the track and both drivers eventually retiring due to the damage. Personally, I think Kovalainen was to blame, as he was weaving across the track a bit. Doesn't make much difference, both drivers were nowhere.

Towards the end of the race, Hamilton has a spin at Club corner, getting a wheel on the grass and losing control. After his faultless race in the wet here in 2008, it shows his frustration when he can't stay on the road in the dry.

Vettel takes the race win, but nobody cares as the action at the back of the field was much more exciting. Nelson Piquet manages to beat team-mate Alonso in a rare occurrence, and it might save his seat for at least one more race. Hamilton ends up 16th, and Sebastien Buemi's impressive start to the season doesn't help him here, as he finishes last.

It's now two months since McLaren scored any points, as their season appears to get worse and worse. Ferrari have improved a bit, so why can't McLaren? All the teams now have three weeks until the next race, and I'm sure that the order at the back of the grid will be shuffled up again.

It seems to change every race.