Norris takes thrilling win after Piastri penalty, Hulkenberg grabs first podium

Lando Norris took advantage of a penalty for team-mate Oscar Piastri to win a thrilling British Grand Prix, as Nico Hulkenberg finally claimed his first Formula 1 podium after 239 starts.

Norris moved ahead of Piastri when the Australian served his penalty, and managed to draw out his lead despite the championship leader’s attempt at a fightback to ensure he’d collected a home win.

Having passed polesitter Max Verstappen for the lead amid early wet conditions, Piastri picked up a penalty for a safety-car infringement at the end of a second safety car period, where he appeared to accelerate before the restart before significantly slowing down all of a sudden.

As a result, Piastri took a 10-second penalty which he served during his final pitstop to hand Norris, who picked up second when Verstappen slid off on that same restart, the lead.

Although Piastri attempted to fight back and put Norris under pressure at the end, simultaneously exerting pressure on his pitwall by suggesting “if you don’t think if it was fair, we should swap back and just race”, McLaren chose to leave the order as it was – and Norris then managed to add to his lead to capture his first British GP win.

Hulkenberg drove a stellar race to claim third, having moved up the order by timing a first pitstop for a second set of intermediates perfectly to sit fourth following the safety cars.

The German then closed down Lance Stroll, who’d cycled up to third with his own fortunate pitstop timings, and passed the Canadian when DRS became available.

Hulkenberg then had to deal with the incoming threat of Lewis Hamilton once the Ferrari driver passed Stroll, but held firm at the end of the intermediate stint and timed his final stop for slicks correctly to lock down third.

A borderline wet track contributed to a stop-start opening seven laps, as the likes of George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman pitted at the end of the formation lap for slick tyres, incorrectly gambling on the sodden final sector drying up.

A brace of VSC periods followed; Liam Lawson peeled off with damage after a clash with Esteban Ocon, prompting three laps of a full-course yellow, before Bortoleto slipped off at Turn 2 to produce another break in racing.

Once racing finally resumed on the seventh lap, Piastri immediately put Verstappen under scrutiny and got on his rival’s tail; he stalked the Red Bull through the opening sector and kept with him through the second to build a run out of Becketts. He made the move for the lead into Stowe, and proceeded to streak clear.

Verstappen was thus left in Norris’ clutches, as the Briton had shaken off an early challenge from Hamilton to preserve third. By the 11th lap, Verstappen’s tyres were wearing and Norris attempted to pounce through Copse – but held off and picked up second when the world champion slipped off at Becketts.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images

However, the rain began to spool up once again and the frontrunners pitted for another set of intermediate tyres; McLaren’s slower stop for Norris ensured Verstappen reclaimed second. Once the two had passed the yet-to-stop Alex Albon, Norris tried to reclaim second – but ran out of time as the safety car emerged amid the worsening rain.

The field was frozen for over three laps behind the safety car before the race resumed, but the field managed about half a lap before it returned in front of Piastri as Hadjar went into the wall at Copse after rear-ending Andrea Kimi Antonelli into the braking zone.

After a four-lap train to clear the Racing Bulls debris, Piastri took the reins as the safety car pulled in; the Australian then tried to back up the pack on the Hangar Straight, which almost caught Verstappen unaware. 

The stewards deemed Piastri’s actions worthy of a 10-second penalty. To add further fuel to an explosive moment in time, Verstappen then spun on his own as Piastri led the field away through Vale, conceding second to Norris and dropping to 10th. 

Verstappen recovered to fifth; despite balance struggles in the wet, he put a series of moves on the Williams drivers, Pierre Gasly, and Stroll – although was 17s adrift of Hamilton by the end. 

Gasly, Stroll, Albon, Fernando Alonso, and Russell completed the top 10.

Piastri’s lead over Norris in the F1 world drivers’ championship is now down to eight points.

F1 British GP results