Lando Norris savours ‘dream' British GP win but Piastri left hurt and confused
Norris, now in his sixth season in F1, took the victory after Piastri had been given 10-second penalty while leading the race but the 25-year-old still delivered an assured drive in treacherous wet conditions to become the 12th British driver to win their home race since it was first held in 1950.
It is the one race Norris wanted more than any other and he revelled in his success. 'This victory is everything I dreamed of,' he said. 'Being on top at your home race is very, very special.'
He admitted afterwards that as he sealed the final laps he was enjoying taking in his accomplishment and most importantly ensuring he did not let it slip away from him.
'Looking up at the fans and seeing them on their feet, your mind just goes pretty blank,' he said. 'I was just trying to enjoy the moment.
'These are moments that none of you guys get to witness. This is only something that I, and very few Brits have achieved. It is a selfish moment, in a way, but so special and incredible because it is such a rare thing to feel and witness.
'For me, it is my best win, maybe not the best way to win, but in terms of what it means to me, winning at home, it is very memorable. Apart from winning a championship, this is as good as it gets.'
Norris grew up watching Lewis Hamilton win the British GP, with the seven-time champion holding a record nine victories here. With Hamilton finishing fourth for Ferrari it was an emotional moment for Norris to have achieved a feat to match those who had inspired him.
'Silverstone is where it all started for me, watching Lewis, Jenson [Button], Fernando [Alonso] and it was that wet race here in 2008 when I began watching Formula One,' he said. 'Lewis won [that year] and I got that picture of him going round and all the fans are standing up, creating an amazing atmosphere. I dreamed of that for many, many years and today I got to see that through my own eyes and live that moment.'
Norris endured one minor hiccup after the race when a photographer fell off a fence in the pit lane onto the celebrating driver. He endured a small cut to his face but shrugged it off amidst the euphoria and has now closed to within eight points of Piastri in the championship battle.
Sign up to The Recap
The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action
after newsletter promotion
Piastri was penalised for braking erratically during a safety car restart and that he had forced Max Verstappen to take evasive action in doing so but while he declined to speak critically of the stewards he was adamant he felt he was wronged by the decision.
'I felt it was well within the rules, and I did it once already in that race. I don't really get it,' he said. 'I didn't do anything differently to my first restart. I didn't go slower. I don't think Max had to evade me. So I am a bit confused to say the least. I know I deserved a lot more than I did today and when you don't get the result you deserve, it hurts.'
Piastri had asked the team if he might swap places with Norris which they declined. The team principal, Andrea Stella, noted that he wants his drivers to voice their positions and was happy with Piastri doing so.
'Lando didn't do anything wrong so I don't think it would have been fair to swap, but I thought I should ask,' Piastri said. 'It doesn't change much for the championship. I felt I did a good job and I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton's 4-word statement says it all after Ferrari flop at Silverstone
Ferrari endured another wretched race, this time at the British Grand Prix where even Lewis Hamilton's magic at Silverstone could not save them from car woes and strategy blunders Lewis Hamilton is usually so comfortable at a rainy Silverstone but felt like he was in "no-man's land" in his flawed and frustrating Ferrari. The seven-time champ matched his best Grand Prix result of the year on Sunday but tore apart his car and team's strategy afterwards. Hamilton was clearly gutted to have missed out on a first podium in red, unable to catch Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber late on. "It's the worst feeling," he fumed. "When the car is constantly snapping, you just have no confidence. The ultimate goal is to try and build up confidence in the car and get faster and faster over time. It's like building a wall and then knocking it down. When you can't build that confidence you're not really going anywhere. You're kind of in no man's land. That's how I felt for most of the race." Ferrari's strategy decisions have come under intense scrutiny for years and there will be another inquest after an opportunity missed at the British Grand Prix. He dropped from fourth to eighth place with his first pit stop, but the second was even more egregious. Hamilton was called in for slick tyres too early after the rain stopped, when he was reeling in Hulkenberg having already dispatched Lance Stroll. It was still too wet on track and he was sliding everywhere, giving the German a much bigger gap after he pitted a lap later. From there, Hamilton had too little time to close the gap and said: "We lost time and a lot of places through strategy. "I stopped early in the hope of a big undercut and jeez, it was so tricky. This car does not like these conditions at all. A big snap and I went wide in turn three and it lost me a ton of time. There was lots of mistakes. It was not a good day." Team boss Frederic Vasseur explained that Ferrari's GPS system had failed 10 laps in, meaning they were making some of their strategy calls "blind". But the pervasive problem for Hamilton continues to be his car, which he said was "the most difficult I've driven here in these conditions". The Brit is one of Formula 1's true masters in wet weather but his brilliance was blunted by a Ferrari machine that just would not cooperate. Time is running out for Hamilton, 40, to challenge for the eighth F1 title he craves – he will not be doing so this year. And for next season, he has made it clear he wants a much different car. He said: "Ultimately, I learnt a lot from today. "There's a lot to take, it's only my second time driving this car in the wet and I can't even express to you how hard it is. It's not a car that likes those conditions. For me, I have to sit down with the people that design this car for next year because there's elements from this car that cannot go on to the following year."
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lando Norris left with bloody nose after man falls off pit wall and lands on McLaren driver at British Grand Prix
Lando Norris ' nose was split open during post-race celebrations at Silverstone on Sunday (6 July). The McLaren driver, who achieved his first Grand Prix victory over the weekend, was at the pit wall ready to celebrate when the freak accident happened. Footage shared by Sky Sports shows a photographer falling off the pit wall and colliding with Norris as the fence collapsed, sending the racer tumbling into two a crowd of people. The 25-year-old can be seen holding his face in pain whilst clutching his new Royal Automobile Club Trophy, which appears to have caused the cut. Norris needed Steri-Strips to treat the wound but was later seen smiling to fans onstage as he showed off his injury.
Leader Live
36 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Lando Norris warned Oscar Piastri will use Silverstone setback to fuel title bid
Norris is just eight points behind Piastri at the midway stage of the season following the British driver's maiden win on home turf at a rain-lashed Silverstone. Norris delivered a composed performance before taking advantage of Piastri's 10-second sanction for his 'erratic braking' behind the safety car. Piastri felt hard done by with the stewards' verdict, but McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expects the Australian to bounce back from the punishment. 'I have to say that the penalty was very harsh,' said Stella after he oversaw McLaren's first victory at their home race in 17 years. 'There are a few things to review, but in itself, now the penalty has been decided and has been served, we move on. 'We will see if there's anything to learn on our side and I'm sure Oscar will use this motivation for being even more determined for the races to come and try and win as many races as possible.' Nothing is more special than a home race victory 😮💨👊 @LandoNorris #F1 #BritishGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 7, 2025 Norris' title hopes appeared in tatters after he crashed into Piastri in Canada. But just three weeks on, the championship momentum is firmly with the 25-year-old after he followed up his win in Austria with another victory on Sunday – the first time in his career he has sealed back-to-back wins. Norris now has four victories to Piastri's five this season, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third in the standings but now 69 points off the championship pace. Norris' celebrations in front of a record 168,000 spectators at Silverstone were briefly halted when a photographer fell on him and he received a small cut to the nose. However, Norris was able to take to the Silverstone fan stage to lap up the adulation of the British crowd alongside Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown late on Sunday night. 'It's two wins in a row, but they've not come easy by any means,' said Norris. 'We've had good fights, but they're pretty strenuous, exhausting weekends because you're fighting for hundredths and thousandths of a second and you're fighting for perfection in every session. 'I'm also going up against some pretty good drivers. So, it takes a lot out of you, especially when you have a race like Sunday.' Norris will return to action for the Belgian Grand Prix on July 27 ahead of the concluding race before the sport's summer break in Hungary a week later.
