Race Notes - Norris takes McLaren 1-2 in wet-dry British GP

By Mark Karp

In a chaotic British Grand Prix at Silverstone, that saw on and off rain showers, Lando Norris in his McLaren-Mercedes won 6.812 seconds ahead of his team mate Oscar Piastri.

At 37 years old, Nico Hulkenberg in his Sauber-Ferrari took his first podium finish, 34.742 seconds behind the winner.

Hulkenberg, on his 239th start, scored him first podium finish, and is the longest career in Formula One before scoring a first podium (238 races over 15 seasons). It is the first podium finish for Sauber since Kamui Kobayashi in the Japanese GP in 2012.

Piastri still leads the Drivers’ Championship, but Norris closes to eight points behind his team mate. Max Verstappen is 69 points behind Piastri in third place. In the Constructors’ Championship McLaren with 468 points leads Ferrari (222) and Mercedes GP (210).

Lewis Hamilton (39.812s) in his Ferrari finished fourth, just missing out on extending on his streak of finishing on the podium nine-straight times at the British GP, Max Verstappen (56.781s) who spun on a safety car restart in the middle of the race in his Red Bull-Honda finished fifth, Pierre Gasly (59.857s) in the Alpine-Renault was sixth, Lance Stroll (1m00.603s) in his Aston Martin-Mercedes was seventh, Alex Albon (1m04.135s) in the Williams-Mercedes was eighth, Fernando Alonso (1m05.858d) in the second Aston Martin was ninth, and George Russell (1m10.674s) in the Mercedes GP took the final point in tenth place.

Verstappen starts from the pole with Piastri alongside, Norris and Russell on row 2, the Ferraris’ of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on row 3, Alonso and Gasly on row 4, and Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli rounding out the top ten.

Franco Colapinto will start from the pitlane.

A half hour before the start there was rain falling, with a drying race expected for the race. Potentially looking for an intermediate wet start then switching to hard tyres.

As the start approached, the skies were clearing and the track drying.

Some teams thinking there might be showers sometime during the race. All drivers starting on intermediate wet tyres.

At the appointed time, 3p local time, the drivers took to the formation lap behind the safety car and lined up on the grid.

Russell, Leclerc, Hadjar, Bortoleto pitting before the start to change tyres. Russell is on hard, Leclerc on mediums. Colapinto doesn’t take the start from the pitlane.

The lights went off and the race began with Verstappen staying in the lead, with Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Alonso. Sainz following.

Lawson and Ocon touch, Lawson hits the wall and is out.

Norris and Hamilton battle for third.

On lap 2 the virtual safety car is out.

On lap 3 Kimi Antonelli is in for hard tyres.

On lap 4 the virtual safety car ends and the race resumes.

Gabriel Bortoleto hits the wall, and tries to get out of the gravel trap. The yellow flag is out.

Verstappen leads Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Alonso, Sainz, Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, and Hulkenberg in tenth.

On lap 6 Antonelli lets Russell ahead into 13th.

The virtual safety car is out again.

There is a rain shower expected in 5 laps.

On lap 7 Stroll pits for soft tyres and rejoins 12th.

The virtual safety car ends, and Piastri is half a second behind Verstappen in the lead.

On lap 8 Piastri is challenging Verstappen, and Piastri takes the lead into Stowe corner as the rain starts to quicken.

On lap 10 Leclerc passes Antonelli.

Hulkenberg and Antonelli pit for intermediates.

Stroll, Russell, Leclerc, Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman pit.

On lap 11 as the track is wetter, Veerstappen goes wide and rejoins.

Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Gasly, Alonso. Sainz, and Tsunoda all pit for intermediates.

Piastri leads followed by Albon, Norris, Ocon, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Gasly, and Alonso in tenth.

McLaren expects 10 minutes more rain, and the rain has intensified.

Hamilton tells the team that it is bad enough for wet tyres now.

On lap 14 the safety car is out.

Leclerc goes off the track and rejoins.

Behind the safety car Piastri leads Verstappen, Norris, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Hamilton, Russell, and Alonso in tenth, Sainz, Albon, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Antonelli, Hadjar, and Bearman in 17th.

On lap 16 of 52, the skies are clearing but the track is very wet, as the cars follow along behind the safety car.

Just as the safety car lights go out, Piastri brakes, and Verstappen goes around him into the lead until Piastri gets back in front.

At the end of lap 17 the safety car is in and the race resumes with Piastri in the lead. Hamilton and Russell battle. Leclerc passes Tsunoda for 13th.

Hadjar rear ends Antonelli on the straight and crashes hard in Copse corner and the safety car is out again. Hadjar tells the team he is okay.

Ocon pits for new inters and rejoins last in 16th.

On lap 22 the race resumes and Verstappen spins from second and resumes in tenth.

The stewards have Piastri under investigation for during the previous safety car.

On lap 24 Hamilton goes slightly wide, and Russell passes for sixth. Hamilton tells the team that the Ferrari is very snappy in the current conditions.

On lap 25 Piastri is handed a 10-second penalty for a safety car car infringement.

At lap 26, at half distance, Piastri leads followed by Norris, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Russell, Hamilton, Alonso, Sainz, and Verstappen in tenth.

On lap 27 Hamilton passes Russell back for sixth.

Tsunoda is given a 10-second penalty for causing a collision.

Verstappen tells the team that the car is handling so bad that he is falling back from Sainz in front of him.

On lap 30 Hamilton passes Gasly for fifth.

The track has not been drying very quickly with 20 laps to go.

At lap 32 Piastri, with a 10-second penalty, leads Norris by 2.7 seconds, followed by Stroll (22.1s), Hulkenberg (23.3s), Hamilton (26.9s), Gasly (30.7s), Russell (31.7s), Alonso (33.2s), Sainz (37.8s), and Verstappen (38.3s) in tenth.

On lap 33 Hamilton is closing on Hulkenberg and Stroll.

On lap 35 Hulkenberg passes Stroll for third.

Later in the lap Hamilton passes Stroll for fourth, and trails Hulkenberg by 1.4 seconds.

The track is continuing to dry, and lap times are dropping.

On lap 36 Leclec passes Albon for 11th.

Hamilton reports that the track is drying and he expects a crossover in about 10 laps.

Piastri sets fast lap at 1m40.351s.

On lap 38 Alonso pits for medium slick tyres and rejoins 14th.

On lap 39 Russell pits for hard tyres and rejoins 13th.

Norris sets fast lap at 1m39.550s.

Leclerc passes Sainz for eighth.

Russell on slicks spins but continues.

Verstapen passes Gasly for sixth.

On lap 42 Hamilton pits for soft tyres. Stroll, Verstappen, Gasly. Sainz, Bearman and Tsunoda all pit as well.

Hamilton goes wide but continues.

On lap 43 Hulkenberg pits. Leclerc, Albon and Ocon also pit.

Piastri pits from the lead, taking his time penalty, and switches to mediums.

Haas team mates Bearman and Ocon touch.

Norris pits from the lead switching to mediums tyres and rejoins in the lead with Piastri 5s behind.

At lap 45 Norris leads Piastri, Hulkenberg, Hamilton, Stroll, Verstappen, Gasly, Alonso, Albon, and Russell in tenth.

Norris leads Piastri by 4.5 seconds, Hulkenberg leads Hamilton by 6.1 seconds.

Norris sets fast lap at 1m30.035s, and then the next lap as well at 1m29.734s.

At lap 50 Norris leads Piastri by 6.2 seconds, followed by Hulkenberg, with Hamilton 5.5 seconds behind, Stroll, Verstappen, Gasly, Alonso, Albon and Russell in tenth.

Piastri sets fastest lap at 1m29.686s.

On lap 51 Verstappen passes Stroll for fifth.

Piastri sets fast lap at 1m29.337s.

At the finish Norris wins over Piastri and Hulkenberg.