2023 F1 British Grand Prix!

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THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX: SUNDAY 9th JULY 2023

• 1. Max Verstappen
• 2. Lando Norris
• 3. Lewis Hamilton
• 4. Oscar Piastri
• 5. George Russell
• 6. Sergio Perez
• 7. Fernando Alonso
• 8. Alex Albon
• 9. Charles Leclerc
• 10. Carlos Sainz Jr

'That McLaren is a rocket ship.' - (LEWIS HAMILTON)

Max makes it 11 wins this season

Max Verstappen won the British Grand Prix with another dominant effort, while Lando Norris outdueled Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling battle for second.

After McLaren decided to place the British driver on the tougher, more durable tyre rather than the faster soft compound, a late safety car made Norris' runner-up position uncertain.

But in a thrilling race between the two home favourites at a sold-out Silverstone, Norris, 23, held off Hamilton, 38.

Three British drivers finished in the top five, including Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri who placed fourth, one position ahead of George Russell.

With his sixth straight victory, Verstappen extends his lead over the competition at the top of the standings to 99 points.

Verstappen remarked, "We had a terrible start so we need to look into that," , "Lando and McLaren were super-quick. It took a few laps to past them and then everything was okay. I am very happy that we won again and 11 wins in a row for the team is incredible, but it was not straightforward today."

This season, McLaren has struggled mightily with consistency, but a significant boost in the British team's home race produced amazing results.

Indeed, Norris briefly held the lead during Sunday's 52-lap race after out-starting pole-sitter Verstappen in his McLaren to the delight of British spectators.

Since Hamilton took the lead for the Woking team here in 2012, a McLaren vehicle has not led the British Grand Prix.

However, Verstappen's superior Red Bull vehicle overtook Norris on the Wellington Straight and made the pass stick into Brooklands, ending Norris' four and a half lap reign at the top.

Russell was attempting, but failing, to overtake Ferrari's Charles Leclerc as Piastri ran in third place.

Hamilton started the race in seventh place but fell to eighth after the first lap before reclaiming it when he hit Fernando Alonso on the seventh.

On lap 33, Kevin Magnussen's Haas sputtered to a stop, igniting an uninteresting race. His machine's back was briefly engulfed in flames before turning into smoke.

With Magnussen's Haas in danger at the start of the Wellington Straight, a full safety car was sent out. Hamilton, who hadn't yet pitted, benefited the most, moving up from a net seventh place to third when the order was jumbled.

Verstappen and Hamilton jumped right on the soft compound, but Norris received the hard compound despite appealing with his McLaren crew to do the same.

Hamilton's Mercedes suddenly appeared in Norris' side mirrors as the safety car pulled in at the conclusion of lap 38.

The McLaren driver-maintained position, but Hamilton saw his chance and raced around the outside of Norris into Brooklands and then Luffield.

On the run-down Copse, Hamilton had a third opportunity, but Norris skilfully defended the area, leaving Hamilton with no place to go.

Hamilton withdrew and tried again on the next lap, but Norris maintained his position and the senior Briton was unable to pass.

After that, Norris was able to maintain Hamilton's distance, crossing the finish line 2.9 seconds ahead of the Mercedes vehicle.

As he reached the finish line, Hamilton remarked, "That McLaren is a rocket ship."

Sergio Perez finished sixth after starting in the lowly 15th position, one position ahead of Piastri, who finished fourth for McLaren on a beautiful afternoon.

Alonso won the race in seventh place, and Alex Albon improved his standing by finishing eighth for Williams.

Verstappen finished 3.7 seconds ahead of Norris to keep Red Bull unbeaten streak this year.

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