2025 British Grand Prix Recap

By Ryan Wu

In one of the most thrilling races of the season, Lando Norris claimed his first-ever win at his home Grand Prix, cutting the Championship gap to just eight points behind his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Neither McLaren driver started from pole, as Max Verstappen delivered a stunning final lap in Q3 to snatch the top spot, edging Piastri by just over a tenth of a second. Rain loomed large over the race, with heavy showers hitting the track just before lights out.

Chaos struck immediately. At the end of lap 1, a collision between Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson ended Ocon’s race and triggered the first Virtual Safety Car (VSC). The second VSC came after Gabriel Bortoleto lost control while warming his tires and was forced to retire.

On lap 11, a thrilling duel unfolded between Norris and Verstappen. When Verstappen ran wide at Chapel, McLaren surged to a 1-2. But a slow double-stack pit stop cost Norris dearly, handing the position back to Verstappen.

As rain intensified, the full safety car was deployed on lap 14. Racing resumed three laps later, only for another safety car to be called when Isack Hadjar rear-ended Kimi Antonelli, taking both rookies out of the race.

During this second safety car period, Piastri was handed a 10-second penalty for excessively slowing the pack—briefly allowing Verstappen to pass. It marked a tough day for the Championship leader, whose 13-second advantage had already been wiped out by the first safety car.

When racing resumed, a rare unforced error from Verstappen saw him spin and tumble down to ninth, where he immediately came under pressure from Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in the Williams cars.

With Piastri yet to serve his penalty, Norris managed the gap to perfection. When McLaren called in Piastri on lap 43, Norris stayed out and crossed the line first to claim a historic win—despite late pleas from Piastri to impose team orders, believing his penalty to be unjust.

A Long Time Waiting for Hülkenberg

After qualifying 20th last week, Nico Hülkenberg managed a slight improvement at Silverstone, starting 19th. At that point, it seemed his long-awaited podium would have to wait yet again. But sports often defy expectations—what seems inevitable can quickly be turned on its head.

In a chaotic, rain-soaked race on Sunday, Hülkenberg finally shed the unwanted distinction of holding the record for the most Formula 1 starts without a podium—a record he led by 110 races heading into the weekend.

After 239 career starts, the German driver at last earned his place among the top three. He surged to 10th within the first three laps and climbed to third by lap 10. From there, a composed and resilient drive—fending off none other than seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton—sealed a long-overdue celebration. Hülkenberg’s joy was evident as he proudly held up the Lego-built trophy, a fitting symbol of a career milestone finally reached.

Rookie Report

To put it plainly, this was a disastrous day for rookie drivers. Franco Colapinto, whose F1 future is increasingly uncertain amid strong rumors of an impending replacement by Valtteri Bottas, didn’t even make it to the starting grid due to a clutch failure in the pit lane. Of the remaining rookies, none except Oliver Bearman managed to finish the race—though Bearman’s outing was far from clean. He was involved in a late-race collision with Esteban Ocon, causing both cars to spin. To make matters worse, Bearman was also handed a 10-place grid penalty for a red flag infringement during qualifying.

Racing Refresh Driver of the Day

Nico Hulkenberg, Stake

Final Points Finishing Positions

1st: Lando Norris

2nd: Oscar Piastri

3rd: Nico Hülkenberg

4th: Lewis Hamilton

5th: Max Verstappen

6th: Pierre Gasly

7th: Lance Stroll

8th: Alex Albon

9th: Fernando Alonso

10th: George Russell

Next on the F1 Schedule:

Belgium Grand Prix: July 25th-27th