British Grand Prix – Race: Lewis Hamilton winner after a thrilling finish

The British drivers shone during the qualifying session! George Russell starts from pole position ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris is third alongside Max Verstappen in ambush. As they prepare to hit the track, the asphalt is dry, but this situation is not expected to last as the risk of rain is high, and it should spice up the race.

The departure

Pierre Gasly returns to the pits at the end of the formation lap, the French driver is a victim of a gearbox issue and retires before even starting the race.

At the first turn, everyone keeps their position but very quickly Lando Norris is forced to go a bit wide and lets Max Verstappen pass him. The majority of the grid has opted for the medium tires, Esteban Ocon and Guanyu Zhou are on softs while Sergio Perez has chosen hard tires.

After only a few minutes, the engineers warn that rain could make its appearance as early as the 6th lap. The start of the race is quite calm, drivers are preparing their strategies in the face of the approaching showers as the sky over Silverstone continues to darken.

The gap is closing between Russell and Hamilton, Verstappen is still third ahead of the two McLarens and the two Ferraris. Lance Stroll and Nico Hülkenberg complete the top 10.

On the 15th lap, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris once again go head to head and engage in a battle that reminds us of the scenario of the Austrian Grand Prix. After just a few turns, DRS open, the young Briton manages to overtake his arch-rival much to the delight of the fans in the stands. The Brits once again share the podium of their home Grand Prix.

The rain is coming.

Here it is! On the 17th lap, the rain is here. This benefits Lewis Hamilton who is widening the gap with Lando Norris and overtakes George Russell. The latter makes a mistake with his slick tires and also gets passed by Norris. The battle is raging between the three at the front. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon, and Guanyu Zhou come in to put on intermediate tires.

In just a few minutes the race becomes crazy and the standings change at all levels. It’s not raining enough, some parts of the track are dry. The drivers on intermediates got their strategy wrong and find themselves at the back. Charles Leclerc is 16th while Carlos Sainz, who stayed on mediums, is 6th.

Shortly before the halfway point, a new shower falls on the Silverstone circuit. Verstappen and Sainz are the first to pit for intermediate tires. On track, Norris and Piastri are fighting for the lead but McLaren soon stops Lando Norris to switch his mediums for wet tires. The team sacrifices Oscar Piastri by deciding to leave him on track to pit him one lap after his teammate. He comes out in 6th position.

Nightmare for George Russell

On the 34th lap, George Russell’s hopes of winning at home disappear as he is called to the pits by his team to retire. Mercedes announces a hydraulic issue. This kind of problem can cause the car to overheat, so retirement is almost inevitable for safety reasons.

The two other British drivers are leading. Lando Norris is still fighting to keep his first place while Lewis Hamilton is becoming more and more dangerous to take it from him. Max Verstappen is third ahead of Sainz and Piastri. As the sun shines again, brains are heating up in the garages to choose the most opportune moment to switch to slick tires. Hamilton and Verstappen pit almost at the same time while Lando Norris opts for a different strategy and stays out for one more lap before changing tires. He misses his pit stop and loses his first place to Lewis Hamilton.

Ten laps from the finish, Hamilton is in the lead and can believe in victory, his first since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021. However, nothing is decided yet as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen are setting the best lap times and are very threatening to challenge Hamilton. The three drivers are separated by the same gap: around 2 seconds. Max Verstappen on hard tires is attacking Lando Norris, who is forced to manage his soft tires, giving Hamilton some breathing space. Verstappen eventually overtakes, giving us a world champions duel for the final laps.

Lewis Hamilton, breathtaking, is the first to pass in front of the checkered flag. The Briton returns to victory at the most beautiful place, in front of his fans. Max Verstappen is second, while Lando Norris completes the podium.

The ranking of the British Grand Prix.