Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen claimed his eighth victory of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship season on Sunday at the British Grand Prix, which served as round 11.
The win was the first for the reigning champion at the U.K. race, but it was McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who really impressed on the day. Thanks to recent upgrades made to their cars, the McLaren duo had the pace to chase for the lead, and Norris managed to hold the position for the first few laps.
However, Norris had to settle for second place by the end of the race, with just 3.8 seconds separating him from Verstappen, who won the last race by 24 seconds. Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three podium positions by finishing close to seven seconds behind Verstappen. Hamilton barely edged out the rookie Piastri who finished fourth, while fellow Mercedes driver George Russell finished fifth.
Verstappen started the race on the pole position with Norris joining him at the front of the grid. Norris got the better start and was followed closely by Verstappen and Piastri in the first few laps, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also in the mix. On lap five, Verstappen was finally able to pass Norris and take the lead thanks to some help from the Drag Reduction System.
2023 Formula 1 British Grand Prix
The top of the order didn't change much from that point, but on lap 33 the virtual safety car was deployed after Haas’ Kevin Magnussen suffered power unit troubles. His car eventually came to a stop the following lap, requiring the actual safety car. Most drivers took the opportunity to pit, including race leader Verstappen.
The safety car left the track at the end of lap 38 and Verstappen managed to keep his lead at the restart, while Norris was held up due to battles with Hamilton. This allowed Verstappen to build up a gap that he held onto until the end of the race.
There were few additional dramas, though Aston Martin's Lance Stroll received a penalty for causing contact with Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who was forced to retire thereafter. And Red Bull's other driver, Sergio Perez, after yet another poor qualifying session that left him starting the race 15th, spent the day fighting through the pack, ultimately finishing in sixth place.
Following the weekend's action, Verstappen has a clear lead in the 2023 Drivers' Championship with his total of 255 points, versus the 156 points of Perez in second. Third in the standings is Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso with 137 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull leads with 411 points, versus the 203 of Mercedes in second and 181 of Aston Martin in third. The next race on the calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix in two weeks.
2023 Formula 1 British Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2023 Formula 1 British Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Lando Norris, McLaren +3.798 seconds
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +6.783 seconds
4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +7.776 seconds
5) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +11.206 seconds
6) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +12.882 seconds
7) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +17.193 seconds
8) Alexander Albon, Williams +17.878 seconds
9) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +18.689 seconds
10) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +19.448 seconds
11) Logan Sargeant, Williams +23.632 seconds
12) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +25.830 seconds
13) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +26.663 seconds
14) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +27.483 seconds
15) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +29.820 seconds
16) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +31.225 seconds
17) Nyck De Vries, AlphaTauri +33.128 seconds
18) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri – DNF
19) Kevin Magnussen, Haas – DNF
20) Esteban Ocon, Alpine – DNF
