British GP Race Report
A thrilling British GP saw McLaren emerge triumphant despite the curveball thrown by heavy rain during the race, a feature of so many events at Silverstone in the past.
And despite a one-two finish it was an afternoon of mixed emotions for the Woking team after a controversial penalty saw Oscar Piastri cede victory to Lando Norris.
McLaren lost pole to Max Verstappen, but Piastri soon got into the lead in the race that started in wet conditions. However a hard braking move ahead of the Dutchman ahead of a restart after a safety car did not sit well with the FIA, and earned him a 10-second penalty, that he took at his next stop.
He chased new leader Norris to the flag, but couldn’t bring the gap down fast enough, and had to settle for second. The result created a massive 14-point swing towards Norris, who now has 226 points to the 234 of his frustrated team mate.
Against all the odds the second best team on race day at Silverstone was the Swiss Sauber outfit. Last in the 2024 World Championship, the team had enjoyed a good run prior to Silverstone with three races in a row in the points – reflecting the input of new team principal Jonathan Wheatley as efforts continue to ramp up towards the Audi era in 2026.
However no one could have predicted that perfect timing of tyre calls and a great drive by Hulkenberg would see the German make the podium – for the first time in 239 races. In truth he’s never driven a properly competitive car, but his successful junior career and Le Mans win on his only appearance with Porsche in 2015 had showcased his talent. Sauber has surged to sixth in the championship, and now has fifth-placed Williams in its sights.
For Lewis Hamilton the British GP was a special weekend as he appeared in Ferrari colours in front of his home crowd for the first time. Driver and fans alike hoped that a little luck and the usual Silverstone magic would help him onto the podium at a race he has won so many times.
It nearly worked out in that he finished fourth from the same position on the grid, which was a solid result on a day when key rivals underperformed. However Hamilton was far from happy, saying that the SF-25 was the worst car he’d ever driven at the track.
Meanwhile his team mate Charles Leclerc had an even worse time, finishing a lowly 14th after a bad call for slicks on the wet circuit at the start and a series of off-track moments. Ferrari still lies second in the championship but team boss Fred Vasseur is still under pressure. Much now rides on suspension upgrades due at Spa.
The weekend was even worse for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen wasn’t happy with the car in practice, but an ultra-low rear wing choice worked out for him in qualifying and allowed him to steal pole from the McLarens. However it was always going to make life difficult for him in the race given that rain was expected and he was going to lack grip. He fell to second place initially before a half spin at the restart after the safety car dropped him to 10th, and from there he could only recover to fifth.
With team mate Yuki Tsunoda failing to score yet again – a penalty for colliding with Oliver Bearman dropped him back – it was a poor weekend for the team, Verstappen’s chances of staying in the title fight with the McLaren drivers are fast receding.
Hulkenberg aside, the most surprising result at Silverstone was a solid sixth place for the beleaguered Alpine team, which has had the slowest car at some races of late amid occasional strong flashed of from Pierre Gasly in qualifying. This time the Frenchman started eighth, and with two cars ahead pitting before the start for slicks, he was P6 on the actual grid – and he managed to hold onto that by the flag.
His team mate Franco Colapinto crashed in qualifying and then failed to get going from his pitlane start after what may have been “finger trouble” on his part. The Argentine’s future continues to be called into question with Valtteri Bottas waiting in the wings, along with reserve Paul Aron, who gained more F1 mileage when he was loaned out to Sauber for FP1 at Silvestone.
The positive news of the weekend for the Enstone team was the announcement of the experienced Steve Nielsen as new managing director and de facto team principal from September 1, as well as the arrival of former Ferrari man Kris Midgely as head of aero.
On the face of it a double points finish for Aston Martin was a decent outcome at the team’s home race, but in truth it was an afternoon of frustration. Lance Stroll finished seventh after running as high as third early on after a great tyre call, while Fernando Alonso finished ninth after asking his team at one point why it always gets calls wrong with him. In truth neither man was happy, as colourful radio traffic attested.
On the plus side the latest round of aero updates seemed to work well in the dry, and could give the team some momentum in the second half of the season.
The Williams team hoped for great things from Silverstone, but it continues to suffer relative to rivals due to a lack of recent updates. Carlos Sainz managed to make P9 in qualifying but finished only 11th after a tangle with Leclerc, while Alex Albon moved up from a disappointed 13th on the grid to at least get some points with eighth. A final round of upgrades is due for the next race.
Mercedes has had some great days in the British GP with Hamilton, but the weekend was a disaster for the team. On pole the previous year, George Russell was relieved to qualify as high as fourth, but he was one of the drivers to head into the pits for slicks before the start, and it didn’t pay off as he tumbled down the order. Later he made the call to return from inters too early, and went off the road. He somehow salvaged a single point for P10. Meanwhile in the background gossip about his future and the team’s interest in Verstappen continued.
Team mate Kimi Antonelli started 10th after a grid penalty for his Austrian crash, and also dropped back with a premature call for slicks. He then retired with damage after being hit from behind in the spray by an unsighted by Isack Hadjar. His steep learning curve continues.
Only two teams came away from Silverstone with no points. Hadjar crashed heavily after the aforementioned contact with Antonelli, while his Racing Bulls team mate Liam Lawson was shoved out of the race by Esteban Ocon on the first lap.
Ocon survived the contact, but the Haas driver could finish only 13th after an eventful race that saw a collision with his team mate Ollie Bearman that sent both men spinning. Bearman could only recover to P11 in his first home race having taken a 10-place hit for a clumsy crash when the red flag was out in practice.
For both Haas and Racing Bulls a failure to score was a disaster on a day when midfield rivals Sauber, Williams, Alpine and Aston all came away with points. The midfield better looks set to provide great entertainment over the second half of the season.
After a two-week break action resumes at high-speed Spa, where the sprint format adds stress and rain is likely at some stage. This is not the official summer shutdown, which comes in August, so all teams will be working flat out to have the best package for the Belgian race while continuing to focus on their preparations for 2026.
Meanwhile off-track the biggest news of the weekend was American Tim Mayer declaring his intention to run against controversial incumbent Mohammed ben Sulayem for the presidency of the FIA, with the election coming in December. The campaign is set to provide an interesting sideshow alongside the track action.
