Lando Norris claimed victory in the British Grand Prix on Sunday. The race at Silverstone was a spectacular event, with multiple safety cars, virtual safety cars, retirements, and heavy rain showers ensuring there was never a dull moment for fans. Norris led a one-two finish for McLaren, while rival Max Verstappen had to settle for fifth place. However, the real hero of the day was Nico Hülkenberg, who, after 239 Grands Prix, secured his very first Formula 1 podium!
Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the Austrian Grand Prix:
FORMATION LAP: After heavy rain showers plagued the Silverstone circuit all morning, the afternoon skies over the British asphalt are dry. Although the sun has broken through, the track is still quite wet. As a result, all drivers start on intermediates. During the formation lap, it’s clear to see the water still splashing up behind the cars. “The last sector is really still too wet for slicks,” Oscar Piastri confirms over the radio. Nevertheless, some drivers take a gamble – Russell, Leclerc, Hadjar, Bortoleto, Bearman, and Colapinto swap their rain tires for slicks and start from the pit lane.
LAP 1/52: Piastri gets off to a great start, but Verstappen retains the lead. Home hero Hamilton also has a good start and immediately gains a position. Following him is Pierre Gasly, who has overtaken three cars in his Alpine. While Hamilton battles Norris for third place, Lawson is pushed off the track by Esteban Ocon – the race is neutralized with a virtual safety car. Colapinto is officially the first retirement, after a problem in the pit lane results in a did not start record.
Sudden Rain Shower
ROUND 7/52: After a few minutes, the British Grand Prix resumes. The residual water on the track makes grip elusive. Verstappen, who is still leading, skids with all four wheels over the kerbstones. Not much later, a virtual safety car is deployed again, as Bortoleto has spun off the track on his medium tyres. Meanwhile, grey clouds are gathering in the distance. Rain is expected within a few laps.
ROUND 8/52: Piastri overtakes Verstappen! The Dutchman is sliding all over the place – the intermediates are wearing out much faster on the RB21 than on the MCL39. With the promise of heavy rain in the tenth lap, both Mercedes drivers must return to the pits for rain tyres. Their gamble on slicks has gained them many positions.
ROUND 13/52: Norris immediately catches up with Verstappen. The Dutchman, who complains to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase that his tyres are already worn out, is soon overtaken by his British rival. The low-downforce setup of his RB21 is now really causing him problems. However, after about half an hour of racing, it starts pouring at Silverstone. Verstappen immediately enters the pit lane and – because McLaren has to perform a double pit stop – regains second place behind Piastri. While Lewis Hamilton complains that he actually needs full wet tyres, the safety car is deployed; the track is too wet.
Bad Luck for Both Verstappen and Piastri
ROUND 19/52: Only one lap is raced before Hadjar parks his car in Antonelli’s diffuser. “I couldn’t see anything,” the Parisian complains over the radio, as the safety car is deployed again. Antonelli manages to keep his Mercedes on the track, but he eventually retires as well. In the lead, Verstappen is still sandwiched between the two McLaren drivers. Meanwhile, the heavens open again.
ROUND 22/52: Drama for Verstappen at the restart! The Red Bull driver spins from second place. He manages to keep the RB21 on the track, but falls all the way back to P10. In the replay, we see how he had to brake hard a few seconds earlier to avoid overtaking Piastri behind the safety car. Did the Australian suddenly slow down? The stewards are investigating the incident and not long after, they deliver a damning verdict – Piastri receives a time penalty of a full 10 seconds. This opens up opportunities for the rest of the field.
Hülkenberg to the Podium?
ROUND 35/52: As the drivers find their rhythm on the wet asphalt, all eyes are on Hülkenberg. The 37-year-old German is still chasing his first podium finish in Formula 1, and behind Stroll and the two McLaren drivers, he has a serious shot at the podium. With the help of DRS, he overtakes the Canadian and secures the third position, with Hamilton hot on his heels. The former champion is eyeing his twelfth consecutive podium at Silverstone and his first podium with Ferrari.
ROUND 45/52: Hamilton can’t get past Hülkenberg and is the first to switch to slicks, the red tires to be precise. As he exits the pit lane, he briefly goes off the track, but manages to keep the Ferrari on the asphalt. The rest of the field follows one by one, including Hülkenberg, who manages to hold onto his third place. Verstappen, who is now in sixth place, opts for medium tires, but curses a little later that his car is ‘uncontrollable’. The two McLaren drivers are the last to come in, with Piastri dropping back to second place – he serves his time penalty in the pit lane.
ROUND 52/52: It’s over! Another one-two finish for McLaren and a first home victory for Lando Norris. However, the unsung hero of the day is Nico Hülkenberg. After 239 Grand Prix, he secures his very first podium in Formula 1!
