Lando Norris took the lead early on and went into battle with Max Verstappen at Silverstone on Sunday. But a British grand prix that delivered early drama ended in the most predictable way possible: with Verstappen’s Red Bull way out front and everyone else racing for second.
Verstappen took his sixth win in a row and eighth of the season, with another dominant day. The victory extended Red Bull’s record to 10 wins in 10 races this season.
But it was Norris, in a McLaren, who felt like the biggest winner of the day after holding off the Mercedes from Lewis Hamilton in an all-British battle for second that thrilled the partisan crowd.
Norris’s result was McLaren’s first podium of the season and a welcome reward for an impressive performance that held off Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, in the final laps.
Hamilton did everything he could to get around 23-year-old Norris as the laps dropped. But none of Hamilton’s experience or skill could get his car around a stunning defensive drive from Norris. It was the first time since 1999 that two British drivers have stood on the Formula 1 podium at Silverstone. McLaren’s second car, driven by Oscar Piastri, followed in fourth place.
“That McLaren is a rocket,” Hamilton said with admiration after the finish.
star struck
The most intriguing driver at Silverstone, which both teams and fans wanted to see all week, was a fictional one: Sonny Hayes.
That is the name of the character that the actor Brad Pitt will play in a new Formula 1 movie that passed the week shooting scenes and meeting people at the track – even setting up a fake garage and fake hospitality trailer – as part of an effort to collect information, advice and race footage.
Teams seemed eager to get close to the project. Lewis Hamilton is part of the film’s production staff, Red Bull’s Christian Horner met with the filmmakers on Friday, and Mercedes even helped design the cars of Pitt’s fictional Apex racing team.
“We got involved quite early on,” Mercedes’ Toto Wolff told reporters last week. “When we had the initial discussions, we sent Brad to a driving school in France, going all the way through the Formula 4 Formula cars, and trying to be helpful with the story. Lewis is an executive producer, so he wanted to make sure the film is as realistic as possible when it comes out.”
Pitt and his co-star, Damson Idris, were on the grid all week and several windows were cut out of the tight race schedule to allow filming on the track itself.
Drivers’ Championship Standings
Verstappen will carry his points lead into September, even if he no longer shows up at races. (Note: Points by Austrian Grand Prix.)