Silverstone: A Quick-Fire Recap
- therookiereporters
- Jul 8
- 5 min read
Silverstone is without a doubt one of the most iconic tracks on the Formula 1 calendar and one which always promises to bring action, emotion and a little bit of chaos. This year was no exception. Torrential rain, multiple safety cars, clashes and near misses and a wholly unexpected comeback – Silverstone did not disappoint. Here are 5 of the biggest storylines following the British GP!
Race Results:
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
8. Alex Albon (Williams)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. George Russell (Mercedes)
11. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
12. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
13. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
14. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
DNF/DNS:
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - DNF
Isack Hadjar (RB) - DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) - DNF
Liam Lawson (RB) - DNF
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - DNS
Lando Norris Takes Victory at Home
After a solid drive throughout the race and a 10-second penalty for teammate Oscar Piastri working to his advantage, Lando Norris came home with P1, securing his first ever home-race win in Formula 1. With hordes of fans in fluorescent yellow in the “Landostand”, even more in McLaren merch throughout the grandstands and his home crowd all cheering him on, Lando delivered a stunning victory and stood proud on the top step of the podium this week. This marks his 8th win in Formula 1 and his 4th this season and he now sits just 8 points behind championship leader Piastri, putting even more pressure on him. Could we see Norris overtake Piastri in the standings when we race again in Spa? If the last few races are anything to go by, he could be in with a shot and his performance recently has made one thing very clear; he is here to fight.
Hulkenberg Takes P3
In a dramatic turn of events, Nico Hulkenberg took home 3rd place at Silverstone, marking his first ever podium in his Formula 1 career. Previously, Nico held the record for most race starts without a podium, however, that unfortunate record is now behind him as he secures his maiden podium at the British Grand Prix. He started the race in P19 and managed to work his way up through the grid before crossing the line behind the two McLarens. Since making his F1 debut in 2010 with Williams, Hulkenberg has had 239 race starts, making this podium for Kick Sauber a long time coming but, ultimately, worth the wait. For his efforts, Nico was given the well-deserved Driver of the Day vote, after a stunning drive in the Grand Prix. Despite this podium being totally unexpected, it proved to be a nice surprise and it’s impossible not to feel proud and a bit emotional for Hulkenberg as he embraced his team and received his trophy, smiling all the while. This also means that Sauber move up to 6th in the Constructors’ Championship standings, with 41 points – a great day for Nico and the team!
Piastri/Verstappen
During the race, Piastri was handed a 10 second penalty for braking too hard behind the safety car. This caused Verstappen to have to brake sharply to avoid overtaking under safety car conditions, prompting him to shout over team radio “Whoa mate! He just suddenly again slows down!” Within seconds of the safety car clearing, Verstappen went into a spin which resulted in him finding himself in P10. Piastri ended up serving his penalty during the race, pitting on lap 44, meaning Lando Norris took the lead of the Grand Prix. Piastri made it clear that he didn’t think the penalty was fair in post-race interviews, saying that he didn’t want to say too much as he would get in trouble but was obviously dismayed, stating “Apparently, you can’t brake behind the safety car anymore. I did it for five laps before that.” He then added, “I still like Silverstone even if I don’t like it today.”
Multiple DNFs + Franco DNS
This year in Silverstone, we had 4 DNFs and 1 DNS, with only 15 cars racing in the end. Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, and Kimi Antonelli were all unable to finish the race, leading to a huge amount of disappointment and heartbreak for them and their teams.
This result will be especially disappointing for Franco, who started from the pitlane but his car stalled meaning his race was over before it began. He is already having to contend with the rumours circling about his position at Alpine, with many believing that his performance at Silverstone this week will be the final nail in the coffin for his time with the team. Having originally replaced Jack Doohan from the Imola Grand Prix in May, Franco was given a contract for 5 races with Alpine. However, after an underwhelming performance by the driver in the past few races, and this 5-race agreement coming to a close, many are questioning whether the British Grand Prix will be the last we see Franco racing for the season, with Valtteri Bottas being floated as his potential replacement. With a few weeks before the Belgian Grand Prix, we will just have to wait to see what will happen to Colapinto, and if this week really was the last time he will race with Alpine.
Collisions, Slips and Penalties
Speaking of penalties, Piastri wasn’t the only one who was penalised in Sunday’s race. Yuki Tsunoda was also handed a 10 second penalty for causing a collision with Oliver Bearman at the safety car restart on lap 22. As the pair battled it out through turn 6, Tsunoda made contact with the Haas which sent Ollie’s car into a spin. Unfortunately for Yuki, this is just another instalment in his series of bad luck and disappointment over the last few weeks, as his much-anticipated stint in Red Bull has become less of a dream and more of a nightmare.
On lap 40 of 52, George Russell spun off the track and across the gravel meaning he dropped down to 14th place, just above Fernando Alonso. George gambled and had just pitted to go onto hard tyres on the previous lap but, unfortunately, met a similar fate to Alonso, who struggled towards the end of the race after switching to fresh mediums.
And Ollie Bearman’s weekend just seemed to go from bad to worse. After being handed a 10 place grid penalty and 4 penalty points for a red flag infringement earlier in the race weekend, meaning he started this race in 18th, he was involved in a collision with Haas teammate Esteban Ocon. Bearman collided with Ocon at Brooklands corner following an aggressive move down the inside of his teammate, which sent both cars spinning and meant that the pair will now be under investigation by the stewards. But, hey, at least he got to meet Percy Pig in the paddock, right?
Charles Leclerc also suffered a slip and ended up in the gravel on lap 46, which only acted as a further annoyance for the Ferrari driver, who has not had the most successful race this week.
Silverstone brought the excitement, the drama and the action this year and it has certainly been a race to remember. Norris and Hulkenberg won big this week, with Lando securing victory in front of his home crowd and Nico finally achieving a podium after all these years, but for others, Silverstone brought nothing but setbacks. Piastri’s safety car infringement cost him P1, Verstappen saw his hope for a podium fade away alongside his chance of achieving his 5th WDC, and for our 5 DNFs, their stint at Silverstone was short-lived. In a few weeks, we are in Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix and if Silverstone is anything to go by, it will surely pack a punch!
Written by: Gemma Hickey
