Lando Norris wins the British Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri in second place

Lando Norris took victory at the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, capitalizing on a 10-second penalty handed to his teammate Oscar Piastri. Germany's Nico Hulkenberg completed the podium in third place, achieving his first top-three finish in 239 Formula 1 starts.

Photo By Mclaren

Wrong strategies before the start

The race had drama even before it began. Franco Colapinto, who was supposed to start from the pits due to a power unit change in his Alpine, couldn't even take the start due to new technical issues with his car, becoming the first retirement.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell gambled by switching to slick tires before completing the formation lap, a decision that proved wrong given the tricky conditions of a wet track that required intermediate tires.

Verstappen surrenders lead to Piastri

Max Verstappen maintained the lead when the lights went out, but visibility in the middle of the pack was poor. Liam Lawson became the first victim after a collision with Esteban Ocon, forcing a Virtual Safety Car.

The action didn't last long, as Gabriel Bortoleto lost control of his Kick Sauber due to lack of grip at Silverstone, paying the price for running on slicks. After the second VSC, the race restarted and Piastri attacked Verstappen for the lead. Race control ordered DRS activation, which was enough for the Australian to pass the four-time world champion.

Rain changes the picture

Early rain predictions came true when a new downpour completely transformed conditions. The rain made driving difficult even on intermediate tires, forcing a Safety Car period with just one-third of the scheduled 52 laps completed.

The neutralization found Piastri on top, followed by Verstappen and Norris completing the top positions. Behind them, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg surprised by placing among the best, putting Lewis Hamilton in trouble.

Photo By Mclaren

Hadjar's crash extends Safety Car

When the race restarted, Isack Hadjar became the next victim with a heavy impact of his Racing Bulls, forcing a long Safety Car period. The driver reported being okay after the crash, but the incident neutralized the competition again.

The penalty that decided the race

The new restart brought the decisive moment. Oscar Piastri slowed down abruptly while leading the pack behind the Safety Car when everything was ready to restart. Verstappen had to take evasive action to avoid hitting the McLaren. The FIA stewards reviewed the incident and penalized the Australian with 10 seconds, explaining in their official statement that "car 81 braked sharply (59.2 psi brake pressure) and reduced speed in the middle of the straight between turns 14 and 15, going from 218 km/h to 52 km/h, forcing car 1 to maneuver to avoid a collision." Piastri served the penalty during his final pit stop when intermediate tires were fitted, thus handing victory to Norris.

Verstappen suffers decisive spin

Verstappen didn't make the podium after spinning when the race was about to restart, dropping to ninth position. The Dutchman recovered to finish fifth, but lost valuable points in the championship fight.

Hulkenberg achieves first podium at 37

Nico Hulkenberg ended his poor streak by achieving his first F1 podium after 241 entries and 239 starts. The German from Kick Sauber took advantage of changing conditions to climb from 19th on the grid to third place, resisting pressure from Lewis Hamilton in the final stages.

Championship impact

The victory allows Norris to close the gap in his internal battle with Piastri for supremacy at McLaren. The difference between the teammates was reduced from 15 to 8 points after this race, with Norris accumulating 25 points for the win while Piastri added 18 for second place.

Hamilton disappoints at home race

Lewis Hamilton saw his streak of 11 consecutive top-3 finishes at Silverstone end as he brought his Ferrari home in fourth place. The Briton couldn't take advantage of mixed conditions to achieve a better result at Silverstone while racing for the Italian team.

Points for Alpine and Aston Martin

Pierre Gasly took sixth place for Alpine, followed by Lance Stroll's Aston Martin in seventh. Alex Albon scored points for Williams in eighth, while Fernando Alonso finished ninth in the second Aston Martin. George Russell closed out the points in tenth place with his Mercedes.

Ollie Bearman came close to points at his home race, finishing 11th in his Haas, ahead of Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Esteban Ocon (Haas), who made contact with teammate Bearman in the final stages.