Lando Norris secured a dramatic victory at the British Grand Prix held in challenging, rain-affected conditions. He advanced to first place following a penalty imposed on his championship-leading teammate, Oscar Piastri, for a safety car infringement. Piastri finished in second position, narrowly ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, who achieved his first Formula One podium after 239 race starts.
“It’s beautiful. Everything I dreamed of, I guess. Everything I’ve ever wanted to achieve. Apart from a championship, I think this is as good as it gets in terms of feelings, in terms of achievement, being proud – all of it,” Norris said. “You know, this is where it all started for me, was watching actually, was watching you on TV many years ago. And now, thankfully, I’ve been able to have my go. So yeah, incredible race. Stressful as always, but the support from the fans made the difference today. So I’ve got to thank them for it all.”
Initially, on a wet but rapidly drying track, the formation lap proceeded behind the Safety Car. When the Safety Car withdrew, several drivers chose to pit and switch from Intermediate tyres to slicks, impacting subsequent race strategies.
At the start, polesitter Max Verstappen successfully launched his Red Bull, overcoming a brief challenge from Piastri to take the lead. Behind them, Norris maintained third position ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly, who advanced to fifth.
Later in the race, contact occurred between Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson of Racing Points, resulting in Lawson being pushed off-track and retired from the race. The Safety Car was immediately deployed, temporarily halting racing pace.
Following the restart, Verstappen maintained his lead, but an incident involving Gabriel Bortoleto from Sauber caused a secondary Virtual Safety Car (VSC) when Bortoleto’s car stopped on track. The VSC was deployed twice before lap 7, during which Verstappen held the lead while Piastri and Norris engaged in competitive exchanges.
“I’m not going say too much till I get myself in trouble. But thanks to the crowd for a great event,” Piastri said. “Thanks for sticking through the weather. I still like Silverstone even if I don’t like it today. So, thanks for coming out, everyone.”
On lap 8, Piastri overtook Verstappen using DRS, taking the lead. As rain intensified, drivers on less suitable tires struggled; Verstappen slid off at Chapel, allowing Norris to pass. Piastri responded by pitting, shortly followed by Norris and Verstappen. Norris’s pit stop was slow, allowing Verstappen to re-emerge ahead and reclaim second place.
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Piastri opened up a 12-second gap over Verstappen, with Norris close behind. Stroll, who started 17th, gained positions through a brief stint on soft tyres, moving into fourth, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, who benefited from the race incident and weather conditions after starting from 19th. As conditions worsened, the Safety Car was deployed on lap 14, neutralising the race.
“It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it? But, yeah, I always knew we have it in us, I had it in me somewhere,” Hülkenberg said. “So what a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. It’s pretty surreal, to be honest. Not sure how it all happened, but obviously crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. I think we just were really on it. The right calls, the right tyres, at the right moment. Made no mistakes and, yeah, quite incredible.”
The Safety Car period concluded at the end of lap 17, with Piastri maintaining his lead over Verstappen and Norris. However, shortly thereafter, a collision occurred between Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli, causing the Safety Car to return. Despite the impact, Antonelli was able to continue; Hadjar spun into barriers.
Under safety car procedures, Piastri brake sharply, dropping from 218 km/h to 52 km/h, allowing Verstappen to pass. Piastri was subsequently penalised with a 10-second time addition for erratic braking behind the Safety Car.
The Safety Car period ended on lap 22. In challenging conditions at Stowe, Verstappen lost control and spun off track, slipping from second to tenth place, overtaken by Sainz. At the race midpoint, Piastri led by 3.6 seconds, with Stroll holding third, followed by Hülkenberg and Gasly. Hamilton overtook Russell for sixth position, while Alonso sat in eighth ahead of Sainz and Verstappen.
On lap 35, Hülkenberg overtook Stroll for third. Hamilton soon followed, moving into fifth. Verstappen gradually recovered, overtaking Sainz for ninth behind Alonso. By lap 38, the track was drying; Alonso first pitted for slick tyres, followed by Russell. Both experienced grip issues, with Russell spinning but rejoining. Verstappen moved up to seventh and, as conditions improved, overtook Gasly for sixth after cycling through pit stops.
On lap 44, Piastri pitted from the lead to serve his penalty and switch to Medium tires, rejoining behind Hülkenberg in second. Norris pitted at the end of the subsequent lap, returning to the track ahead on Medium tires and maintaining the lead through the finish.
In the final stages, Hülkenberg earned his first career podium, finishing third. Hamilton secured fourth. With two laps remaining, Verstappen closed on Stroll; capitalising on a minor error by the Canadian, Verstappen passed to claim fifth. Gasly also overtook Stroll on the final lap, finishing sixth. Stroll crossed the line in seventh, followed by Albon, Alonso, and Russell.
2025 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Race
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 52 –
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 52 6.812
3 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 52 34.742
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 52 39.812
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 52 56.781
6 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 52 59.857
7 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 –
8 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 52 –
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 –
10 George Russell Mercedes 52 –
11 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 52 –
12 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 52 –
13 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 52 –
14 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 52 –
15 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 51 – 1 lap
Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 23 – Retirement
Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 17 – Retirement
Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 3 – Retirement
Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 0 – Retirement
Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 0 – Retirement
Photo/Formula1/X
