Lando Norris crowned king of Silverstone as Nico Hulkenberg finally lands podium

Daily Mirror

18 hours ago

Silverstone has a new British king as Lando Norris reigned supreme on a chaotic, rain-soaked Sunday afternoon. While Max Verstappen span out and Oscar Piastri picked up a penalty, the Brit superbly mastered the tricky conditions to win the British Grand Prix for the first time.
Speaking of firsts, it was a day Nico Hulkenberg would remember for the rest of his life as, in the Sauber and at the 238th time of asking, he finally stood on a Formula 1 podium. He benefitted from the timing of two safety cars but earned it by overtaking Lance Stroll and then holding off a charging Lewis Hamilton.
For the seven-time champion, a first Ferrari podium was in sight but it was not to be in the end. He had to settle for fourth ahead of Stroll while Max Verstappen, who led off the line but span out behind the safety car, was sixth.
Heavy downpours on Sunday morning had wetted the Silverstone track, which was drying until another shower hit while the cars waited on the grid. That left teams with an interesting tyre dilemma. Some gambled, with George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli among a group who pitted at the end of the formation lap to change to slicks.
That meant the grid was not full when they got going, though those on the intermediates who did stay out were glad they did as, in the early stages, they were notably quicker than those who had changed to medium tyres. Hamilton inherited fourth place from Russell and soon began a scrap with Norris, but was unable to get by his fellow Brit.
That saw Norris drop back from team-mate Piastri who had set his sights on Verstappen. The low-downforce Red Bull was fast on the straights but struggling on the damp track, particularly at the high-speed Maggots and Becketts section where he would lose out to both McLarens.
First, on lap eight, a snap of oversteer saw him lose momentum and gave Piastri the opportunity to take the lead. And three laps later, as the rain returned, another slip at the same place saw him go off track and Norris was gifted second place – until he lost it again with a slow stop.
And, after 14 laps, the standing water on track was deemed too dangerous by race control who called out the safety car. That delayed Norris' quest to get back ahead of Verstappen, and he was denied further still when Isack Hadjar slammed into the back of Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes, bringing the safety car back out.
But he wouldn't need to get past the Dutchman again as, just before the restart on lap 22, Verstappen caught too much of the wet kerb and span, dropping him down to 10th place. That came moments after leader Piastri, managing the pace after the safety car had peeled away, slammed on the brakes suddenly, causing the Dutchman to momentarily overtake.
The Red Bull racer swore and fumed over the radio, and the FIA placed Piastri under investigation for that erratic move. He was later handed a 10-second time penalty which meant that, at the halfway stage, Norris was the de facto race leader, a little under four seconds behind his team-mate and closing.
The big winners from the early chaos were Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg, who found themselves third and fourth respectively because the timings of the safety cars had worked out perfectly for them. The Canadian was hunting his fourth career podium and first since 2020, when his Aston Martin team was still known as Racing Point.
But the Sauber behind him was quick and Hulkenberg, looking for his first ever F1 podium finish, was piling on the pressure. That brought Hamilton into play as the seven-time champion, still hunting his first top-three finish in a Ferrari, roared up behind them. Stroll slipped behind, setting up a showdown between two veterans of the grid.
As Hamilton reported on the radio, the sun was now shining and the track drying up. It wasn't ready for slicks, though, as Russell found out with 12 laps to go after he took the brave gamble before immediately spinning off track at Maggots and Becketts. He continued rather sheepishly, having made the call to swap.
Hamilton took the same gamble with 10 to go as he found it tough to get by the pacy Sauber of Hulkenberg. He put on the softs, Hulkenberg the mediums. The gap was narrowing all the time but, seven seconds behind with six laps to go, time was running out.
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