Behind Max a British party
Max Verstappen has won the Grand Prix of Great Britain for the first time in his Formula 1 career. The reigning world champion was clearly the best on the Silverstone circuit in his Red Bull. Britain’s Lando Norris finished second in the McLaren, while his compatriot Lewis Hamilton was third in the Mercedes.
For Verstappen it is the eighth victory of the season and the sixth victory in a row. In the world championship he ran further. His first competitor, teammate Sergio Pérez, finished sixth. Verstappen, who won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020, the anniversary race of Formula 1 at Silverstone, now has 255 points. That is 99 more than Pérez.
Verstappen started from pole position for the fifth time in a row, this time with McLaren driver Norris alongside him. He trumped Verstappen at the start. Oscar Piastri was also quick in the McLaren and put pressure on the Red Bull. On the fifth lap, Verstappen passed Norris again. The two McLaren drivers then had to leave a gap compared to Verstappen, but they stayed ahead of the competitors from Ferrari and Mercedes.
Due to the stalling of Kevin Magnussen’s car, a safety car was deployed. Verstappen made his pit stop with Norris behind him too. The 25-year-old driver thus kept the lead in the race. At the end of the 38th lap, Verstappen stayed ahead of Norris on the restart and immediately took distance. He also took the world championship point for the fastest lap.
Norris had to make sure he kept Hamilton behind. The Mercedes driver tried a few times, but Norris successfully defended his position. For Hamilton, who started from seventh position, it was a good result. Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who started fourth and fifth, had to settle for ninth and tenth place.
Nyck de Vries started from eighteenth place, as Valtteri Bottas left the pits. The AlphaTauri driver gained one place and advanced to fourteenth place through pit stops and retirements. After the second pit stop he was unable to maintain the pace on the soft tires and finished seventeenth and last, outside the points. De Vries is still waiting for his first World Cup points.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl