British Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins again and again, but Lando Norris is not far behind

The F1 was in Great Britain this weekend for the – almost – legendary Silverstone Grand Prix. The surprise of the weekend comes from the British McLaren team, with Lando Norris starting in second position and Oscar Piastri in third. The Englishman from Woking could even have claimed pole position if it weren’t for a certain Max Verstappen…

The race begins and Lando Norris immediately takes the advantage over his Dutch friend, while his teammate Oscar Piastri fights almost wheel to wheel with the reigning world champion. Note that behind them, Russell gains a position while Hamilton loses one. However, on the 5th lap, Verstappen benefits from the DRS and overtakes Norris.

Further on, Russell, caught in between the two Ferraris, attempts an attack on Charles Leclerc to take 4th place. However, the British driver complains about problems turning the car during braking. His teammate also switches to an offensive mode, targeting Fernando Alonso in 7th place. The Mercedes driver overtakes him on lap 7.

A lot of wind at Silverstone

At the back, Sergio Pérez, starting in 15th position, collides with Nico Hülkenberg and the latter loses a part of his front wing carbon. On the other hand, Esteban Ocon is forced to retire due to a technical issue on his car, a hydraulic leak, Alpine announces.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is complaining about the effects of the wind on his car. His lead over Norris extends to over 4 seconds by lap 20. Charles Leclerc pitted on lap 19 to switch to the hard tires in anticipation of the expected rain. He comes out in 12th place, between Lance Stroll and Logan Sargeant. He overtakes the Canadian on lap 26 and finds himself behind Alex Albon. Speaking of tires, Lando Norris reassures his team that he can still hold on with his medium tires from the start of the race.

We are at the halfway point and Max Verstappen is nearly 7 seconds ahead of Lando Norris. At this moment, Carlos Sainz goes through the pit lane to change tires. On his side, the McLaren British driver checks with his team about the performance of the hard tires among his competitors. George Russell goes into the pits on lap 29 and opts for the mediums, followed by Perez, who had climbed up to 10th place. Piastri also comes in, but chooses the hards.

A little later, a small battle unfolds between Russell and Leclerc for 8th place. The Briton wins the fight and finds himself behind Albon and Pierre Gasly (6th), before the latter goes into the pits.

Magnussen’s car on fire

In turn 33, a dramatic turn of events: Kevin Magnussen’s car is on fire. The Danish driver stops on the track and triggers a virtual safety car, followed by a real safety car. The majority of cars, including Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso, who have not yet changed their tires, take advantage of this opportunity to pit. The seven-time world champion is one of the big winners in this situation, as he is now in 3rd place behind the safety car.

This one leaves the track on the 38th lap. Hamilton wastes no time and directly attacks Lando Norris to take second place from him. They are wheel-to-wheel, but the McLaren driver defends his position. The two compatriots don’t give up and provide a great show for the audience. Meanwhile, George Russell is impressed by the speed of the Woking cars on hard tires.

Behind, Gasly complains about an advantage gained by Lance Stroll by going off track. The Canadian is under investigation. Max Verstappen, on soft tires, tells his team that these tires are not very efficient.

Double abandon at Alpine

Pierre Gasly has a scare 6 laps before the end and goes off track, dropping to last place. It appears that he was pushed by Lance Stroll – the accident is currently under investigation. But the Frenchman goes through the pits and is forced to retire from the race. So it’s a double retirement for Alpine. On the other hand, the Canadian receives a 5-second penalty.

At 3 laps from the end of the race, Lando Norris receives a black and white flag for exceeding track limits. Towards the end of the race, Charles Leclerc, far down in 9th place, tries to attack Alex Albon to gain a few more points. But the Ferraris seem to struggle at Silverstone and that will be the end of it.

Max Verstappen wins the race once again, followed by Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, a consolation for the British audience. The Dutchman also takes the fastest lap point, as usual in recent races. Behind them, Oscar Piastri has not disappoint with a very good fourth place, his best result by far.

The ranking of the British Grand Prix