Analysis of the British Grand Prix, brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit
F1 – For many, a dream result at Silverstone is without doubt a British driver winning. Pushing it slightly, you might also add to that an exciting action-packed race, with some classic British weather to create some uncertainty.
You would probably be going too far if you were to add a podium finish for a driver who holds the record for the most races without ever appearing in the top three. Such a combination of blockbuster stories did indeed come together to create a truly memorable race at Silverstone on Sunday. It was a fitting tribute to continue the celebrations of F1’s 75th year, at the place where it all began in 1950.
F1 arrived to its historical birthplace with high hopes for Lando. He was coming into the race weekend with new confidence after his last win in Austria. He was also helped along by the 10,000 fans in the specially dedicated ‘Landostand’ which was awash with his distinctive yellow neon colours. Whilst he and his McLaren teammate went into the weekend as favorites, Max Verstappen could never be written off, especially after being taken out in the previous race, whilst Ferrari and Mercedes were looking to bring further improvements to fight for the podium places. Hamilton in particular, as another home hero of Silverstone, was hoping for a repeat of last year’s memorable win and his first podium for Ferrari.
Coming into qualifying, Red Bull’s lead up to the race was somewhat underwhelming, but some setup changes and a bit of Verstappen magic led to a shock pole for the Dutchman. Up to that point, the running had all been with McLaren. They had to settle for Piastri in second and Norris third. Russell again showed his qualifying talent, putting his Mercedes into fourth, whilst Hamilton gave some hope, starting fifth. His teammate Leclerc was sixth, followed by the other Mercedes of Antonelli.
The gap between the top six of just over 0.2 seconds suggested that the race itself was set for a close battle. Max Verstappen would need to prove that his pace could be held over more than just the single lap for qualifying. At the same time, the British weather was offering uncertainty, with heavy rain in the hour ahead of the race, meaning that any of McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes could be in the mix for a win. With a capacity crowd, the stage was set for a thriller.
The weather played a crucial role in the race. Whilst the track was drying before the start, rain was forecast in parts for the duration of the race. As ever under such conditions, strategy decisions needed to be swift and decisive, risks managed and - more than anything - drivers just needed to keep out of trouble.
Leclerc and Russell went bold right at the start of the race, stopping immediately for slicks before the start. They were clearly too early, as they initially started losing five seconds per sector as sections of the track were just too wet.
At the front, the top three all got off to a safe start, but further back a collision of Ocon and Lawson put Lawson out of the race and a resulting safety car. Antonelli, amongst a handful of others, took the opportunity to stop for slicks and immediately Bortoletto showed the difficulties of the dry tyres, crashing out on lap 6, leading to another safety car. With the front runners still playing it safe on wet tyres, it became clear that whilst Red Bull had straight line speed, McLaren was faster on corners. Piastri took advantage of that and took the lead on lap 8, with Lando doing the same overtake of Verstappen on lap 11.
Shortly after that, the rain became so hard that not only did those who had risked the slick tyres have to come in for wets, but there was also another safety car, as visibility became very low. Once it was deemed safe to restart, there was yet another crash. This time it was Hadjar, another safety car ensued and it was the subsequent restart that changed the race. Oscar Piastri braked hard before the safety car period had ended, and it was deemed a dangerous move by the stewards. He received a ten second time penalty and with Norris, holding a 2 to 3 second gap, it effetely gave the Brit the lead. As part of that restart, Verstappen spun which ended his race chances as he went back to 11th.
As the weather then dried out, Alonso was the bravest and first to come in on lap 38, with Russell the following lap, followed by Leclerc. At that time, the McLaren cars had a full 30 second lead, so could afford to wait and see how other cars performed. Piastri chose lap 44, with Norris the lap after.
The end result was that for the final seven laps to the end, Norris led by 4.4 seconds from Piastri, with Hulkenberg, who had avoided the carnage behind him and timed his pitstops well, was 23 seconds further back in third. Hamilton was six seconds further back in fourth, followed by Stroll who at one stage was heading for a podium place.
Over these laps, the weather behaved, Norris kept his cool and crossed the line for a first British win in front of his adoring crowd. Piastri, whilst finishing second, was not happy and clearly felt his earlier penalty was not justified. Hulkenberg, however, was over the moon. After 239 races, he achieved his first ever podium. It was also Sauber’s first win since 2012. Rightly so, they celebrated like they had won the race.
Lewis Hamilton, who had taken fewer risks on his pit stops and is always impressive in the rain, finished fourth, followed by Verstappen in fifth, who managed to claw back a few places. Gasly, Stroll and Albon followed, with Alonso and Russell completing the top ten.
Ultimately, this will be a weekend to remember for Norris. Not only was it a dream win on home turf, but it has cut Piastri’s lead to just eight points in the championship. With the momentum very much with the British driver, we are set for a hugely exciting second half of the season.
Finally, if all this has inspired you to get closer to the F1 action, the great news for Bahrain fans is that our Early Bird ticket offer is now live, with up to 15% off tickets for next year. What’s more, all Early Bird tickets will get free access to our second-preseason testing in February, so you can be amongst the first fans to see the brand new 2026 cars in action. Head to Bahraingp.com for all the details.
* Laurence Jones is senior manager, Marketing and Communications, Bahrain International Circuit
l.jones@bic.com.bh
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