Two Brits at home on podium
Burning Haas car does not stop Verstappen
7/9/2023 5:29 p.m
At the Formula 1 race in Great Britain, Nico Hülkenberg drives one thing above all: behind. At the front, Lando Norris passes Max Verstappen to the delight of the home fans – but in the end the world champion still triumphs. Lewis Hamilton takes the podium while Ferrari is left behind.
Serial winner Max Verstappen on the relentless approach to his third world title, the thrilling McLaren youngsters Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in second and fourth place – and world star Brad Pitt on the starting grid at Silverstone: while Verstappen in the Red Bull the sixth win in a row and the eighth in the tenth race of the season almost playfully, Pitt stole the show from the protagonists at least a little bit at the start of the shooting of his new Formula 1 film.
Not, however, the furious young McLaren duo with Norris and Piastri, who breathed new life into the recently rather monotonous Formula 1. In qualifying, the two only had to give way to Verstappen in second and third place, and in the race they kept the established teams in check for a long time. “How long can you keep the pace, Lando,” the box asked. “It feels great,” was her reply. He found the tires “great, yes really, really great”.
Under the thunderous cheers of the 150,000 spectators in the packed grandstands, Norris tricked the world champion at the start and took the lead. Verstappen also had to fend off the strongly pushing Piastri in the second McLaren, the young Australian put a lot of pressure on the series winner. Verstappen played along for five laps, then the champion accelerated and took back his accustomed first place from Norris at the end of the Wellington straight.
Ferrari duo at the bottom of the points
Tactically, Verstappen was on his own against the McLaren duo. Sergio Perez failed to make the top ten in the knockout stage for the fifth time, busted out in the first heat. From 15th on the grid, the Mexican had to work his way up the field and ended up sixth.
A safety car period following an engine failure on Kevin Magnussen’s flaming Haas benefited others more, such as Hamilton, who was third when the race restarted. And the seven-time champion had the softer tires on it. “Well, wonderful,” commented Norris, who was worried about his chances in a direct duel, but was ultimately able to hold his own, while Ferrari once again had nothing to gain.
Carlos Sainz, last year’s winner, only managed tenth place, while teammate Charles Leclerc was just one place ahead. Things weren’t going so well for Fernando Alonso either, whose Aston Martin team has its impressive headquarters practically next to the track. The World Cup third from Spain was seventh.
Piastri’s parents see great racing
However, Verstappen was not completely satisfied even after regaining the surprisingly lost lead. “The car pulls pretty much to the side,” he told the pits. A light drizzle stayed constant over the track, and the wind also affected the stability of the cars. “The wind makes driving a lot more difficult,” said Verstappen, but that didn’t stop him from slightly increasing his lead at the front from lap to lap. After ten of 22 races, he is already 99 points ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished the next used weekend in sixth place.
In the back third of the field, Nico Hülkenberg drove a lonely race in the Haas with no prospect of a front place. A piece of the front wing of his car broke when he braked early, the pit stop and changing the part cost Hulkenberg time that he could not make up. 13th place was damage limitation at best.
At halfway point in the race, Verstappen was already more than seven seconds ahead, but behind him Norris and Piastri drove an inspiring race. Although Piastri fell behind record world champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes in fourth place after the tire change, his amazed parents saw in the pits holding hands how their son kept Mercedes driver George Russell in check.
Before the warm-up lap, the drivers had an unusual amount of space on the grid. The photographers followed Brad Pitt and his film crew on their heels, accompanying the world star on the way to the cars of the fictitious APEX team at the end of the field. Filming began in Silverstone for the still unnamed Hollywood film, which is supposed to tell a story from Formula 1 with Pitt in the leading role.