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Lando Norris Wins An Action-Packed British GP In Silverstone

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Lando Norris won the British Grand Prix Sunday (July 7), taking advantage of a 10-second penalty teammate Oscar Piastri incurred for a safety car infringement. The penalty was ultimately the difference, leaving the Australian 6.812 seconds back in second. Nico Hulkenberg was likely the most popular result of the day, finishing in third to stand on the F1 podium for the first time in 239 races.

“It’s beautiful. Everything I dreamed of, everything I wanted to achieve,” an elated Norris said following the race. “It was an incredible race, and the support from the fans made all the difference today. The last few laps I was just looking into the crowd, trying to take it all in, and these are memories I will take with me forever.”

“It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?” Hulkenberg said in his post-race interview. “I always knew I had it in me. It’s pretty surreal, to be honest, but it was a survival race, and it’s quite incredible. We didn’t crack, no mistakes, and I’m really happy with that.”

Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth, followed by Max Verstappen, who recovered well from a mid-race spin. Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10.

As It Unfolded

The main protagonists of the 2026 season occupied the four top grid positions, Verstappen sitting in pole, alongside championship leader Piastri, with Norris and George Russell filling the second row. Hamilton was just behind his two compatriots in fifth-place, giving the British crowd three home heroes in the top five.

The anticipation of another close battle at the front was only added to by the damp Silverstone track, with the possibility of more rain during the race. Some confusion surrounded the start, an announcement being made that the race would commence behind the safety car.

Conditions, however, were not wet enough for a rolling start, so some cars took to the grid, while others went immediately into the pit lane to start on slick tires. Verstappen got a strong start, followed by Piastri and Norris.

Hamilton unsuccessfully challenged Norris for third position towards the end of the first lap, while those cars that had started from the pit lane, Russell among them, were already losing over one second per lap. Conditions were still not suitable for dry tires, so the gamble hadn’t paid off.

A collision between Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson caused a virtual safety car to be deployed, and several additional cars stopped for slick tires. The four frontrunners, Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, and Hamilton, remained on track.

The race restart saw Piastri within six-tenths of Verstappen, but a slide from Gabriel Bortoleto on slick tires threatened another safety car. He was able to get his car running again, but he was unable to return to the pits, causing another virtual safety car to be deployed.

As the cars circulated at a reduced pace, dark skies heralded more rain. At the time, teams believed that it would arrive within 10 minutes.

When racing resumed, Piastri was within three-tenths of Verstappen, with Norris almost four seconds further back. The greater pace of the McLaren, along with some calm driving, gave Piastri first position on lap eight. Verstappen quickly fell over two seconds behind, while Norris began closing in.

The rain arrived on lap 11, putting Verstappen on the back foot as his intermediate wet tires had suffered from the battle on the opening laps. One lap later, Verstappen went off track, allowing Norris through.

Piastri was the first of the frontrunners to stop, followed by Norris and Verstappen. A slow stop at McLaren held Norris back, giving Verstappen the place he had just lost. Piastri, meanwhile, had settled into first position almost 10 seconds clear.

With the rain intensifying, conditions were deemed unsafe, and a full safety car was called, eliminating all of Piastri’s advantage.

The rain eased as quickly as it had arrived, patches of blue sky appearing even as the drivers closed up behind the safety car. Racing resumed on lap 17, with the three frontrunners holding position, but several changes occurred in the midfield, including Hamilton and Russell switching twice for seventh place.

Isack Hadjar was caught out by the slippery conditions, running into the barriers before a full racing lap had been completed, and causing yet another safety car to be deployed.

The safety car ended on lap 21, and Verstappen spun moments later, causing him to lose eight positions. Piastri was also placed under investigation for slowing too abruptly before the safety car ended.

On lap 25, Piastri was awarded a 10-second penalty for his safety car infringement, giving Norris the de facto lead of the race. Piastri held a 3.5-second lead over Norris, meaning he needed to find another 6.5 seconds to keep his position.

With the McLarens of Piastri and Norris having significantly better pace than any other team, an interesting battle was developing for third place. Stroll was being closely followed by Hulkenberg, who had never before claimed an F1 podium.

Hulkenberg took third place on lap 35, but Hamilton was not far behind, putting doubts on the chances of a fairytale finish.

As the race closed within 10 laps of the checkered flag, McLaren called Piastri into the pits for dry slick tires, responding to several other teams who had done the same. One lap later, Norris also pitted for slicks, rejoining the track six seconds ahead of Piastri. Hulkenberg continued to run in third, now six seconds ahead of Hamilton following their final pit stops. A podium finish was still a distinct possibility.

Following Piastri’s 10-second penalty, Lando Norris came home five seconds ahead to win the British Grand Prix, his first home-race victory. Nico Hulkenberg held on to claim his first F1 podium.

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Peter Molloy began following Formula 1 during the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. He cheered for a certain Ayrton Senna, who was driving the same black and gold colors as a toy F1 car that Pete had been given. Pete continued to be a fan of Senna throughout his childhood. Fast forward many moons, and Peter now combines significant journalistic experience with decades of watching F1 to cover the latest on-track and off-track action.