Max Verstappen takes the victory at the British Grand Prix. However, his victory was overshadowed by McLaren’s first podium of the season.
Lando Norris who showed an impressive performance at qualifying was able to stay close to Max Verstappen throughout the race and finish P2. Lewis Hamilton took the 3rd spot on the podium. The driver of the day went to Lando Norris. The 2023 British Grand Prix marked his first podium of the season.
Bringing home the goods in Silverstone! 🙌#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/D6kP26DYpa
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Oscar Piastri also put in an impressive performance. He missed out on the podium due to the safety car. Oscar finished 4th with George Russell completing the top 5.
Let’s take a look at what happened throughout the weekend.
McLaren delivers shock result in qualifying
Although Max Verstappen took pole position for the British Grand Prix, the spotlight was stolen by McLaren. During the second runs for the drivers in Q3, Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen’s first Q3 time. Max Verstappen was behind Lando and did not have the best second-sector time. This elated Formula 1 fans hoping that Max will finally come second during qualifying.
Y3S Y3S Y3S!!! 🚀🧡 pic.twitter.com/6T38zFQOB2
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) July 8, 2023
However, Max Verstappen put in a fast sector 3 and took the pole position back from Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri also put in an impressive result after finishing P3, marking his best qualifying in Formula 1. Sergio Perez had yet another disappointing qualifying after being eliminated from Q1. He started P16 on the grid for the Silverstone Grand Prix.
Lando leads the British Grand Prix off the line!
As the lights went out at the British Grand Prix, Lando Norris got the jump he wanted to beat Max Verstappen at the start. By the exit of the first corner, Lando Norris was leading the race.
LIGHTS OUT! LANDO NORRIS LEADS!!!!!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/otbkgzkm5Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Oscar Piastri tried to make a move on Max Verstappen as well but was unable to do so on the copse corner. After the first 2 laps. Lando Norris was still in the lead. George Russell also had a good start and was able to make his way up to P5 ahead of Carlos Sainz and behind Chares Leclerc.
Max Verstappen knew that if he needed to win easily once again, he needed to do so soon as the rain was coming. After 4 laps, Lando was still leading the Grand Prix with Max and Oscar close behind. Leclerc, however, was falling back from the leaders.
Max Verstappen disappoints the British fans
On lap 5, Max Verstappen overtakes Lando Norris, while Lando could only watch him. However, Lando was staying close to Max Verstappen over the next few laps. Oscar Piastri was still staying close to the car ahead. However, he was asked not to put pressure on Lando Norris ahead of him.
LAP 5/52
Verstappen zips past Norris to re-take the lead at Brooklands
But the McLarens are sticking with him for the time being!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5LPLMPp8kB
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Behind the leaders. George Russell was challenging Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton was challenging Fernando Alonso. On lap 7. Lewis Hamilton overtook Fernando Alonso, while Russell was still trying to find his way past Charles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc comes into the pits
At the end of lap 19, Charles Leclerc who started the race with medium tires, came into the pits. The pit window for medium tires was after lap 21. The Ferrari strategist seemed to be trying something different as usual.
LAP 19/52
Leclerc is the first of the front-runners to pit from P4, returning to the track P12 with a set of hard tyres#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/AektoHUi3Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
The other cars, including George Russell who had started the race with soft tires, chose to stay out a while longer. This puzzled fans as to why they brought in Charles Leclerc early. Charles was able to keep George behind him, so maybe it was to avoid George from undercutting him. Only Charles had pitted at the time. Charles changed to the hard tires.
Eight laps after Charles Leclerc pit, Carlos Sainz comes into the pit lane for fresh hard tires. So far, Ferrari was the only team to have pitted for fresh tires. The medium tire proved to be more consistent than expected, so drivers chose to stay out for longer.
The rest of the grid pits at the British Grand Prix
A couple of laps after Carlos Sainz, the rest of the grid including George Russell came into the pits. George Russell went on to fresh medium tires as the tire proved to be a lot more consistent than expected.
LAP 30/52
Piastri pits from third, and returns in sixth! Verstappen and Norris continue out in front#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/mSAuRaLEwb
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Oscar Piastri also came into the pits to put on a fresh set of hard tires. He came out behind Pierre Gasly who was running in 5th place at the time. Perez also came into the pits and came out in 12th place behind Lance Stroll.
George Russell goes ahead of Leclerc
After pitting for medium tires, he had an advantage over Charles Leclerc who pitted earlier for hard tires. The Brooklands corner gave him the opportunity to overtake Leclerc, and he took it.
george russell the man that you are pic.twitter.com/6SqX8lWbZB
— sol (@mercsainz) July 9, 2023
Oscar Piastri was also making his way past Gasly to make sure he maintained his 3rd position. He was chasing Lando Norris in 2nd place.
Kevin Magnussen faces engine failure once again
Kevin Magnussen already suffered an engine failure at qualifying on Saturday. On lap 33 of the race, he once again suffered an engine failure. This brought out the safety car which allowed the leaders to get an advantage.
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED (LAP 34/52)
Magnussen grinds to a halt, and the Safety Car comes out!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/oHPKfLq3gr
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Lewis Hamilton pit under the safety car. Predictably, Verstappen and Lando occupied the top 2. However, Oscar Piastri lost out to Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton who pit under the safety car was able to come out ahead of Oscar Piastri who was on track for a podium finish.
LAP 34/52
Hamilton’s pit stop under the Safety Car sees him jump Piastri!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/l81GvUmb2f
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
A little bit further down the field, Charles Leclerc came into the pits for a second time for another set of medium tires. He came out in 10th place behind Alex Albon in the WIlliams. Max and Lewis put on soft tires while Lando was in a set of hard tires. By the time the safety car came in, the race had only 14 laps to go.
Lando Norris defends Lewis Hamilton
As the race restarted, Max Verstappen for the jump on Lando Norris, which left him exposed against Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton got his opportunity to overtake Lando at Brooklands. However, Lando would hold on to his position but the battle would continue on over the next couple of laps.
LAP 39/52
Lando holds off Lewis! The battle for second begins immediately as the race resumes 😱#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/6A2tZeGicZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Norris and Piastri were the only drivers out with hard tires. Lewis Hamilton and Max were on softs, and Russell who was behind Piastri was on mediums. Luckily, both the McLarens were able to hold their position for the moment.
Battle in the midfield
While the top 5 settled down and maintained their positions, the cars behind them were battling each other. Carlos Sainz who had pit earlier for hards suddenly started tumbling down the grid.
LAP 44/52
Off goes Sainz… through goes Albon!
Perez, Albon AND Leclerc all get through past Sainz in a very painful few corners#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/THuzy8eSgR
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
On lap 44, Carlos Sainz got overtaken by Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, and Charles Leclerc. His being out in the hard tires turned out to be a disadvantage for him and the team. A couple of laps later, Sergio Perez overtook Fernando Alonso giving him a chance for a top 5 finish.
Max Verstappen makes it 6 wins in a row after the British Grand Prix
Max Verstappen took the chequered flag with Lando Norris close to 4 seconds behind him. Over the last few races, Max and Red Bull have been absolutely unstoppable. Lando Norris scored his first podium of the season with Hamilton taking yet another podium finish at the British Grand Prix.
Verstappen wiiiiins the British Grand Prix! 💪
It’s his second win at Silverstone, and his SIXTH in a row!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/rKmil24hUQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
It was an impressive weekend for McLaren after finishing 2nd and 4th. It was Oscar Piastri’s best result in Formula 1 yet. The chequered flag was waved by Florence Pugh.
What we learned from the 2023 British Grand Prix
With the British Grand Prix done and dusted, the best driver and team on the grid remains the same. However, the battle for P2 in the WCC has just become more interesting.
McLaren has surprised the paddock and the fans with their impressive upgrades. The upgrades put both their driver in the top 3 during qualifying. And it almost gave them a double podium during the race. Oscar Piastri would have achieved another podium if not for the safety car. Mercedes should not take McLaren’s progress lightly.
OUR BEST RESULT OF THE SEASON! 🤩🧡
Simply stunning at our home race. 🇬🇧#BritishGP #ChromeIsBack pic.twitter.com/orxErJvHgZ
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 9, 2023
It is safe to say that the fans at the British Grand Prix were pleased with the results. The fans saw two of the countrymen take a spot at the podium. George Russell, another Briton, finished P5.
It was yet another poor race for Ferrari. Their strategy to pit much earlier than the other cars put them at a disadvantage throughout the race. Aston Martin also lacked pace during the British Grand Prix.
Max, Lando and Lewis were so excited to celebrate… that they forgot about the trophy 😂#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/D4ii9VXDDf
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
After the British Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has taken a 99-point lead from Sergio Perez in the WDC. Red Bull now leads by 208 points in the WCC. Although McLaren had a good weekend, they still trail Ferrari by 98 points.
Let us see if McLaren can take the battle to Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin before the season ends. The drivers and the team will head to the Hungarian Grand Prix which will take place on 23rd July after a week’s break.
