Lando Norris claimed his first home victory at a rain-soaked Silverstone after teammate Oscar Piastri’s 10-second penalty handed the Bristolian an emotional British Grand Prix triumph, while Nico Hulkenberg finally broke his podium curse after 239 races.
The McLaren driver’s fourth win of the season came in dramatic circumstances after race leader Piastri was penalized for slowing too abruptly during a safety car restart, allowing Norris to inherit victory in front of 160,000 orange-clad fans at the sold-out circuit.
Norris finished ahead of Piastri to close the championship gap to just eight points, with 37-year-old Hulkenberg securing his maiden Formula 1 podium for Sauber in third place. The German veteran’s achievement ended the longest wait for a first podium in F1 history.
Beautiful,” said Norris, his voice thin with emotion after claiming consecutive victories for the first time in his career. The 24-year-old rated his home triumph ahead of even his cherished Monaco victory in May, becoming the 12th British driver to win the British Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton narrowly missed out on a fairytale first Ferrari podium at Silverstone, finishing fourth after running wide following his final pit stop. Max Verstappen recovered to fifth after spinning during the chaotic restart that sealed Piastri’s fate.
Penalty Drama Decides Victory
The pivotal moment arrived on lap 22 as the safety car prepared to peel away. Piastri, who had dominated proceedings after passing polesitter Verstappen early on, suddenly decelerated from approximately 130mph to walking pace on the Hangar Straight approaching Stowe corner.
“Woah, mate. F***. He suddenly slowed down,” exclaimed Verstappen, who had to take evasive action to avoid contact with the McLaren ahead.
Stewards launched an immediate investigation and swiftly imposed a 10-second time penalty on Piastri for driving unnecessarily slowly behind the safety car. At that point, the Australian’s lead over Norris stood at 3.6 seconds.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown suggested on Sky Sports that the team would consider appealing the sanction, though no formal protest materialized. Piastri himself asked over team radio whether positions could be swapped if the penalty was deemed unfair.
Rain Creates Mayhem
The 52-lap race began in dry conditions with Verstappen on pole, but rain soon transformed proceedings into a stop-start affair featuring two virtual safety cars and two full safety car periods in the opening half.
Piastri had seized the lead from Verstappen on lap seven when the Dutchman ran wide at Stowe – ironically where the 10,000-capacity “Lando Grandstand” housed Norris’s most ardent supporters. The Australian’s McLaren proved significantly faster in the wet conditions.
The most significant incident saw Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar collide with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in the spray at Copse. Hadjar careered into the gravel but escaped serious injury, retiring from the race along with Antonelli.
“I’m OK,” confirmed Hadjar after the heavy impact that brought out the fateful safety car period.
Hulkenberg’s Historic Moment
While attention focused on the McLaren battle, Hulkenberg quietly went about securing the result that had eluded him throughout his lengthy F1 career. The German drove a measured race to claim third place, finally ending his record run without a podium finish.
Hamilton mounted a late charge but ran wide after his final stop, leaving him unable to catch the Sauber driver. The seven-time champion had earlier executed some impressive overtaking, including passing both George Russell and Esteban Ocon in a single move.
“Well driven,” was the consensus in the paddock regarding Hulkenberg’s performance, with the veteran maximizing his opportunity in changeable conditions that caught out several more experienced competitors.
Championship Implications
Norris’s victory, combined with Piastri’s second place despite the penalty, represented another dominant display for McLaren. The result reduced Piastri’s championship lead to just eight points with Norris now firmly in contention.
Verstappen’s complaints about an “undriveable” Red Bull in fifth place highlighted the Dutch team’s continuing struggles. The defending champion trails Piastri by 61 points following his first-lap retirement in Austria last weekend.
George Russell endured a difficult afternoon at his home race, switching to slicks too early and sliding off track before finishing tenth. Fellow Briton Ollie Bearman impressed with an 11th place finish for Haas, surviving the challenging conditions that claimed several rookie drivers.
Weather Plays Its Part
The constantly changing conditions at Silverstone lived up to the circuit’s reputation for unpredictable weather. Teams faced difficult strategic decisions as the track oscillated between wet and dry, with several drivers caught out by their tire choices.
Fernando Alonso was among the first to gamble on slick tires as conditions improved, while Russell’s premature switch cost him dearly. The timing of pit stops proved crucial, with those who judged the conditions correctly reaping the rewards.
The win marked McLaren’s fourth one-two finish of the season and continued their remarkable form that has transformed them into genuine championship contenders. For Norris, adding his name to the illustrious list of British winners at Silverstone represented a career-defining moment.
Names dating back from Stirling Moss through Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and up to Hamilton now include Norris on the gold Grand Prix Trophy, transported from the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall specifically for the victory ceremonies.
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Image credit:
Lando Norris, British GP 2022. Photo by Jen Ross, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).
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