RACE REPORT | F1 Britain 2025

Lando Norris triumphed in a dramatic British Grand Prix, claiming the top step of the podium at his home race for the very first time.

The British Grand Prix began under changing weather conditions at Silverstone. The track was wet but drying quickly, and all cars initially lined up on intermediate tyres behind the safety car for the formation lap.

After the lap was completed, a dry line had started to appear, and two drivers decided to take a big gamble. George Russell and Charles Leclerc pitted for slick tyres before the race officially started and began the Grand Prix from the pit lane. Franco Colapinto didn't even start the race.

Max Verstappen had a solid launch and kept the lead into the first corner, followed closely by Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Lewis Hamilton. Right behind them, drama struck almost immediately. Esteban Ocon collided with Liam Lawson, causing a spin and damage that forced Lawson to retire from the race. A virtual safety car was deployed to manage the incident.

Meanwhile, several drivers including Antonelli followed the same risky strategy as Russell and Leclerc, switching to slick tyres very early. The gamble did not pay off. The track was still too slippery, especially in the final corners. On lap four, Gabriel Bortoleto lost control and crashed into the barriers at Turn 2, damaging his car and forcing another virtual safety car.

When the race resumed, the action heated up. Piastri was right behind Verstappen and began applying pressure. Verstappen struggled for grip and made a mistake at Becketts, allowing Piastri to overtake him and take the lead of the race. At the same time, the weather radar showed heavy rain approaching fast. While some drivers on soft slicks like Lance Stroll were briefly very quick and making progress, the track conditions soon turned against them.

By lap 9, the rain returned and caught out all the drivers who had switched to slicks. Russell, Antonelli, and Leclerc found themselves near the back of the field. Antonelli had to return to the pits and go back to intermediates. As the rain intensified, grip levels dropped rapidly. On lap eleven, Verstappen ran wide again, allowing Norris to pass him and move into second place behind his teammate. That made it a McLaren one-two.

Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, and Hamilton all came into the pits for fresh intermediate tyres on lap 12. Norris was delayed by a double-stack in the McLaren garage and lost track position to Verstappen. Just moments later, the rain became even heavier and DRS was disabled. Hamilton radioed for full wet tyres, and teams prepared for worsening conditions.

McLaren informed Norris that the heavy rain was expected to last around ten minutes. The conditions rapidly deteriorated. Hamilton dropped down to eighth place, struggling with grip, while Leclerc went off the track after water splashed under his visor and dropped to fourteenth.

With visibility getting worse and the rain at its peak, the race directors decided to send out the full safety car on lap fifteen. Soon after, the rain stopped, but the field remained behind the safety car while the marshals assessed the conditions.

At the end of lap 15, the running order was as follows: Oscar Piastri led the race ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Lance Stroll was up to fourth place after an aggressive early strategy, followed by Nico Hulkenberg in fifth and Pierre Gasly in sixth. Esteban Ocon was seventh, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in eighth and George Russell in ninth. Fernando Alonso completed the top ten. Behind them were Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, Charles Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman.

On lap 17, the message came through that the safety car would come in. Oscar Piastri led the field and backed them up for the restart. When the race resumed on lap 18, Piastri made a clean getaway, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both overtook Esteban Ocon in a tight battle, moving into seventh and eighth.

Just behind them, Charles Leclerc overtook Yuki Tsunoda for thirteenth. But then came another huge crash. On lap 19, Isack Hadjar crashed heavily at Copse corner after losing visibility in the spray. He hit the back of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and slammed into the wall, bringing out the second full safety car of the race.

Antonelli suffered diffuser damage and eventually had to retire on lap 24, reducing the number of cars still running to just 15. The incident between Hadjar and Antonelli was confirmed to be under investigation, although the visibility conditions made it difficult to place clear blame.

Things quickly became more dramatic. During the restart phase, Piastri was noted for slowing unusually, which caused Verstappen to nearly collide with him and later spin at Stowe corner, dropping down to tenth. That moment triggered another wild sequence where Bearman also spun, and Tsunoda was later handed a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with him. Meanwhile, Piastri was placed under investigation for his restart actions.

On lap 25, the stewards confirmed a 10-second time penalty for Piastri, which he would need to serve at his next pit stop. This was good news for McLaren, especially for Lando Norris who was sitting close behind and stood to inherit the lead once Piastri pitted.

Hamilton had a moment of his own at Copse and was overtaken by Russell for sixth, but then recovered well and re-passed Russell a few laps later. He then overtook Gasly for fifth and started to catch up to Nico Hulkenberg. Verstappen, meanwhile, was struggling with grip and damage but managed to work his way back into ninth place by overtaking Sainz.

By lap 35, DRS was enabled again. Hulkenberg used it to pass Stroll for third, but was then overtaken by Hamilton, who was flying in the damp but drying conditions. Norris and Piastri were still leading and pushing each other at the front, with a gap of just a couple of seconds between them.

The drying track brought the next big strategic twist. On lap 38, Russell became the first to switch to slick tyres, going for hard compounds. Alonso followed a lap later. Soon, more drivers made the change. Hulkenberg, Stroll, Verstappen, Sainz and Gasly all pitted on lap 42. Hamilton followed them in for soft tyres, hoping to undercut those ahead.

Piastri still led, but he had yet to serve his penalty. He did so on lap 44, rejoining in second place behind Norris, who also pitted at the same time and emerged in the lead. Norris now had a clean path to victory, while Piastri had five seconds to make up if he wanted to challenge him again in the final laps.

At first, he began to close the gap, but a snap of oversteer through the fast Maggotts and Becketts section cost him a second. With only a few laps to go, Piastri was now four seconds behind Norris, and running out of time to mount a comeback.

Behind them, chaos continued. A collision between Bearman and Ocon sent both cars spinning, further thinning the field. Nico Hulkenberg, meanwhile, remained in third place, five seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver was pushing hard but couldn’t quite close the gap. He briefly set the fastest lap of the race, only to make a mistake in the same high-speed section as Piastri, losing precious time.

Up ahead, Norris looked calm and composed. As the laps ticked down, he gradually stretched his lead. With three laps remaining, he was six seconds clear of Piastri, and the crowd could sense they were witnessing something special. Verstappen had recovered to fifth place after passing Lance Stroll, but his Red Bull was never in contention for the win on this unpredictable afternoon.

Then, after one hour and forty minutes of chaos, changing conditions, safety cars and strategic gambles, Lando Norris crossed the finish line to win the British Grand Prix for the first time. The grandstands erupted in celebration as the home favourite delivered a flawless performance in front of his fans. Behind him, Piastri came home in second after a strong and composed drive, while the loudest cheers may have been reserved for Hulkenberg, who finally secured a long-awaited and emotional first podium finish in Formula 1.

Hamilton’s run of podiums at home ended with a frustrating fourth place, while Verstappen salvaged fifth after a race full of struggles, spins and radio complaints. Gasly finished sixth, followed by Stroll, Albon, Alonso and Russell rounding out the points.

2025 British Grand Prix results: