Max Verstappen dominated Sunday’s (July 9) British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit to take his sixth consecutive Formula 1 victory and extend his already whopping points lead over teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen started on pole position but, for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix in March, lost the lead to second-placed starter Lando Norris when the lights went out. Norris defended his lead from the Red Bull driver until lap 5, when Verstappen overtook the McLaren and consolidated control over the remainder of the race.
“We had a terrible start,” Verstappen told Sky Sports’ David Coulthard after the race. “So we need to look into why that was. But even after that, especially Lando, or both McLarens, in the beginning were super quick. So it took a few laps to pass them. And then at one point I could ease out a gap, and I think everything looked quite alright again.
“But then again, after the safety car, on the softest compound around here… it was a little bit more tricky for us to keep them alive, basically. So the gap basically stayed around three, three-and-a-half seconds. Of course, very happy that we won again. Eleven wins in a row for the team, I think that’s pretty incredible. But it was straightforward today.”
Norris maintained second place for the rest of the race to net his best result of the 2023 season to date, despite having to defend against eight-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton late in the race. When pitting under a safety car period, the McLaren team put Norris on hard tires, while leader Verstappen and third-placed Hamilton strapped on soft tires. This strategic anomaly forced Norris to mount a vicious defense against a hard-charging Hamilton while also allowing Verstappen to comfortably drive away from the field for a decisive victory – Red Bull’s first at Silverstone since 2020.
Following Norris and Hamilton was the other McLaren entry of Oscar Piastri, to take his career-best finish in F1 with fourth place. The Australian started the race in third place and nearly made a pass on Verstappen for second into turn 1 on the race’s opening lap. Had the lap 34 safety car period not gifted the top three (Verstappen, Norris, Hamilton) a free pit stop – after Piastri pitted under racing conditions on lap 30, the rookie may well have had a chance to snag a podium resut.
Piastri’s previous best result was an eighth place in his home race in Melbourne, Australia.
Completing the top 10 were George Russell, Perez, Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Of the points finishers, among the most unlikely was Perez. The Mexican driver was eliminated from qualifying in Q1 and started the race 16th on the grid. This was the fifth consecutive race in which Perez has failed to advance to Q3, and sixth third instance of failing to do so this season.
Nonetheless, Perez’s pace came to life late in the race and he was able to advance to sixth by the race’s end, though he still finished almost 13 seconds adrift of his victorious teammate.
The race featured three DNFs, all for mechanical issues.
Esteban Ocon was first to exit the race on lap 10 with a hydraulic leak. Kevin Magnussen‘s Haas engine expired on lap 33, and Pierre Gasly made it a double retirement for Alpine when he exited the race with damaged suspension on lap 48.
2023 F1 British Grand Prix Results
The 11th round of the 2023 F1 season will be the Hungarian Grand Prix, held at the Hungaroring in Mogyorod, Hungary. Coverage will begin at 9 a.m. ET on July 23, with coverage on ESPN.
About the author
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.
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