Amidst chaos, Lewis Hamilton clinches his ninth win at the British Grand Prix, showcasing Mercedes’ dominance.
The British Grand Prix delivered an exceptional qualifying session filled with suspense and intensity, with the race poised to be equally competitive as the top five drivers on the grid appear to have a shot at victory.
Mercedes F1 secured the front row with George Russell clinching his third career pole position and Lewis Hamilton taking second place. Lando Norris completes a British trio, starting ahead of Max Verstappen in the second row. Oscar Piastri is fifth, with his McLaren clearly a contender for the win.
Nico Hülkenberg starts sixth after springing a surprise in qualifying. Carlos Sainz is seventh off the line, ahead of Lance Stroll, then Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso. Charles Leclerc is outside the top 10, in 11th place, ahead of Logan Sargeant, who marks his best qualification of the year.
Yuki Tsunoda and Guanyu Zhou take the seventh row ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas. Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Ocon are next, ahead of Pierre Gasly, who has been penalised 50 grid places for exceeding his quota of engine part changes.
Sergio Pérez had a disastrous qualifying, ending up 19th after an off-track excursion in Q1, leading Red Bull to change his engine components. He will start from the pit lane with new parts to benefit from an increased quota. Notably, Verstappen swapped his floor after a mishap in Q1, with Red Bull delivering a last-minute floor of the same specification, without which he would have started from the pits.
The weather remains the great unknown for this race. The sun shines over Silverstone 30 minutes before the start, but a shower has hit the grid and more could arrive during the race.
15:49: The circuit is covered and a shower heads towards the track, with no certainty it will hit. The FIA has officially presented a 60% chance of rain during the race.
15:57: Zhou and Ocon start on soft tyres, Pérez will have hard tyres from the pit lane, and the rest of the field is on medium tyres.
15:59: Pirelli predicts a single pit stop, but the rain could shuffle the deck. Pérez, of course, will try to go as long as possible, hoping that the rain will allow him to make just one stop if it disrupts the end of the race.
16:01: The FIA warns teams that the risk of a shower is increasing for 16:30 local time, 30 minutes after the start.
Formation lap: Gasly returns to the pits as Alpine has “a problem with the car”. A tough break for the Frenchman who has an entirely new engine.
Start: Russell takes the lead and the standings remain the same, as Verstappen challenges Norris and moves into third.
Lap 1: Verstappen uses the slipstream from Hamilton on Hangar Straight but fails to overtake. Leclerc is eighth, Hülkenberg has dropped three places at the start, while Tsunoda has gained four. Albon has lost four but overtakes Sargeant for 12th place. Ocon is already in 16th.
Lap 2: Verstappen is a second behind Hamilton and feels pressure from Norris, with both McLarens appearing as fast, if not faster, than him. It’s retirement for Gasly due to a gearbox issue.
Lap 3: Russell sets the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1’31″418, extending his lead to 0.9 seconds. Verstappen remains over a second behind, with Norris in the DRS zone but unable to mount an attack. Pérez continues to trail, struggling to overtake Bottas who lacks DRS behind Magnussen.
Lap 4: Russell solidifies his lead with a lap of 1’31″298, breaking the one-second barrier. Hamilton and Verstappen are out of DRS range, unlike the McLarens and Sainz. Stroll is over a second ahead, keeping Leclerc and Hülkenberg at bay, though the latter is under investigation for an off-track overtake. Pérez finally overtakes Bottas.
Lap 5: Rain could hit as early as the next lap, though it’s expected to be a brief shower at just one corner. The main downpour worrying the teams is forecasted for 16:30.
Lap 6: The gap between each of the top three cars stands at 1.5 seconds, with Norris and Piastri still in DRS range behind Verstappen. The major shower is now expected around lap 16. Magnussen and Pérez have passed Ocon.
Lap 7: The Mercedes drivers are unable to pull away, with Verstappen keeping close. Norris is 1.1 seconds behind Verstappen, continuing to pull Piastri along. Sainz is 1.6 seconds behind, and Stroll has fallen back to 3.6 seconds. Leclerc is close to overtaking the Aston Martin but can’t make the move. Hülkenberg remains close behind, while Alonso is over a second away. Magnussen takes 15th from Zhou.
Lap 8: Now that Norris is out of Verstappen’s DRS, Piastri shows signs of challenging his teammate. Verstappen drops back, 2 seconds behind Hamilton. Behind them, Magnussen, Pérez, and Ocon have overtaken Zhou. The FIA forecasts rain in about ten minutes.
Lap 9: Leclerc’s engineer informs him of rain expected around lap 16, lasting about ten minutes.
Lap 10: Russell maintains a 1.5-second lead over Hamilton, who now has a 2.4-second advantage over Verstappen. Norris is 1.3 seconds back, with Piastri 0.8 seconds behind him. Sainz has dropped back to 2.9 seconds, with Stroll keeping pace at 3.4 seconds behind the Spaniard.
Lap 11: Sargeant keeps pace with Albon, staying 13th and less than a second behind his teammate. Ricciardo is catching up to the duo, but the Williams cars are holding strong early in the race.
Lap 12: Hamilton closes slightly on Russell, while Verstappen falls back to 3 seconds. His engineer tells him the shower will last 5 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break and then a longer downpour.
Lap 13: Hamilton had closed to 1.1 seconds but then lost some time. Verstappen remains nearly 3 seconds behind the Mercedes, with the McLarens about a second behind him. Pérez, in 16th, struggles to overtake Magnussen. Zhou pits as his soft tyres lose rhythm, similar to Ocon who is lapping at 1’34, compared to 1’32″5 for their rivals. The Stake driver switches to mediums before a shower that could force another pit stop. Leclerc overtakes Stroll for seventh place.
Lap 14: Norris closes in on Verstappen, who continues to lose time to the Mercedes. Piastri falls slightly back, 1.6 seconds behind his teammate.
Lap 15: Norris presses Verstappen, and Russell requests his team to keep him fully informed about the incoming rain. Norris overtakes Verstappen to take third place!
Lap 16: The Briton sets the fastest lap of the race at 1’30″946, as Verstappen tries to keep pace. Magnussen overtakes Ricciardo for 14th place.
Lap 17: Rain hits the circuit! Verstappen has fallen behind Norris and now faces an attack from Piastri, but conditions are about to shift dramatically! And the Australian overtakes Verstappen, claiming fourth place.
Lap 18: Hamilton closes to within half a second of Russell, with Norris three seconds back. Red Bull instructs Verstappen to “survive” the downpour, while considering whether to pit. And Hamilton takes the lead from his teammate Russell!
Lap 19: Norris moves into second place after a mistake by both Mercedes! The drivers run off the track, allowing Norris to slot in between. Verstappen also falters and drops to 3.4 seconds behind Piastri. DRS is disabled.
Lap 20: The drivers stay on track and Norris overtakes Hamilton to lead the race! Piastri overtakes Russell, while Leclerc and Pérez pit. Piastri then passes Hamilton, putting the two McLarens in front, while Leclerc rejoins in 15th on intermediates.
Lap 21: Hamilton declines intermediates as parts of the track remain dry, and he’s proven right as Leclerc struggles to match the pace of his rivals! The Monegasque is overtaken by Bottas.
Lap 22: Norris has a 1.8-second lead over Piastri, who is one second ahead of Hamilton. Russell is 1.6 seconds back, with Verstappen 2.9 seconds behind the Brit, and Sainz is just 1.4 seconds off the Red Bull. Hülkenberg has fallen to 15 seconds behind, a second ahead of Alonso who has passed Stroll. Pérez also confirms that intermediates are not working.
Lap 23: The track has dried as Norris sets the fastest lap again at 1’30″860. Ocon, who had switched to intermediates, pits to revert to mediums… even though another shower is expected soon. According to race control, it’s five minutes away!
Lap 24: Russell is slightly adrift from Hamilton by 2.2 seconds, while Verstappen struggles to keep up, now 4.7 seconds off Russell. Sainz is 1.2 seconds behind the Dutchman. Leclerc and Pérez remain on track but are losing 15 seconds per lap! Clearly, they are waiting for the expected downpour to make a comeback.
Lap 25: Rain returns to the circuit, and a heavy downpour hits Silverstone!
Lap 26: Lap times slow, and surprisingly, Verstappen is not competitive despite his preference for these conditions. He is 6.9 seconds behind Russell and sees Sainz closing in. The gaps at the front remain stable. DRS is disabled, and the downpour is significant! However, the track is still not wet enough for Pérez and Leclerc, who are struggling.
Lap 27: Verstappen and Sainz pit, having lost several seconds on the previous lap. Piastri closes in on his teammate, and the leading quartet stays out. Hülkenberg, Stroll, and Ricciardo also pit.
Lap 28: Piastri remains on track while Norris, Hamilton, and Russell pit. McLaren opts not to double-stack their drivers, risking a challenging lap for the Australian! Verstappen and Sainz overtake Russell, who then repasses the Ferrari. Piastri will rejoin much further back having already lost 5 seconds in the first sector, more than the delay from a double stop would have cost.
Lap 29: Piastri pits, but Norris had already caught up. A tactical blunder by McLaren! Verstappen receives praise from Gianpiero Lambiase, as his timely switch to intermediates has paid off: “We’re back in the race.” Piastri re-enters in sixth place, 5 seconds behind Sainz, now needing to make up ground on the leaders when he could have been contending for the win.
Lap 30: The rain is set to continue for about ten more laps. Norris leads with a 3.2-second gap over Hamilton, and Verstappen is 5.3 seconds behind the Brit, losing over a second per lap. Russell, along with Sainz and Piastri, who is just 2.9 seconds behind Sainz, are closing in. Pérez switches to a second set of intermediates and Red Bull fumbles the stop; he’s now 17th behind Leclerc.
Lap 31: Norris leads ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen, who continues to lose significant time and complains about the wear on his intermediates. Russell is 1.7 seconds back, Sainz 5.5 seconds, and Piastri just 1.2 seconds off the Ferrari. Hülkenberg remains seventh ahead of Stroll, who has overtaken Alonso. Tsunoda holds tenth ahead of Albon, Magnussen, Sargeant, Ricciardo, Bottas, Leclerc, Pérez, Ocon, and Zhou.
Lap 32: Hamilton reports the rain has stopped, though it persists on parts of the circuit. He is 3.3 seconds behind Norris. Verstappen is 7 seconds adrift, and Russell can no longer close the gap. Piastri is on the tail of Sainz, poised to challenge.
Lap 33: The track is now too dry for intermediates yet too wet for slicks. The treaded tyres are suffering immensely, and the leading pack is now evenly matched. The upcoming pit stop to switch to dry weather tyres will be crucial.
Lap 34: Russell retires! The Mercedes suffers a mechanical failure, ending the race for the pole-sitter.
Lap 35: Norris is 3 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who maintains a 6.8-second lead over Verstappen. Sainz is well adrift of the Dutchman by 9 seconds, and Piastri has also lost time to the Spaniard. Hülkenberg is now sixth, 18 seconds behind Piastri, keeping the Aston Martins comfortably at bay. Albon moves into the top 10.
Lap 36: Hamilton picks up pace, closing to within 2 seconds of Norris, while gaining time on Verstappen, who is now 7.5 seconds behind the surviving Mercedes. Sainz is 10 seconds back, and Piastri is 2 seconds off the Spaniard. Pérez is unusually slow despite fresher intermediates.
Lap 37: Hamilton’s advance stalls, and Verstappen gains a bit of time on the front runners. Behind, Albon extends his lead over Magnussen to secure tenth place.
Lap 38: The lap times are significantly quicker, a sign that the track is drying and the rain is moving away. Verstappen sets the fastest lap of this round, and Hamilton closes to under two seconds behind Norris. Magnussen, Ricciardo, and Bottas are the first to switch to slick tyres.
Lap 39: Hamilton and Verstappen pit alongside Piastri, while Norris stays out for an extra lap! Sainz remains on track, temporarily taking second place. Hamilton emerges on soft tyres, Verstappen on hards, and Piastri opts for mediums. Alonso, Tsunoda, Leclerc, and Pérez follow suit! Verstappen continues to close the gap on Hamilton, now just 5.4 seconds behind the Brit.
Lap 40: Norris finally pits, as does Sainz. Hamilton retakes the lead ahead of Norris, with Verstappen moving into third. Piastri is fourth but trails Verstappen by 10 seconds. Norris also selects soft tyres for the race finale.
Lap 41: Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race at 1’30″318, only to be outdone by Verstappen with a 1’30″056! The Dutchman has closed in to 3.2 seconds behind Norris and 5.9 seconds off Hamilton. Piastri goes even faster at 1’29″913, a moment to rue the earlier strategic misstep.
Lap 42: Norris records the fastest lap at 1’29″733, Verstappen bests it with 1’29″604, before Piastri tops them both at 1’29″574. Sainz also sets his fastest lap, but remains a second per lap slower than Piastri, indicating the Ferrari’s struggle.
Lap 43: Verstappen claims the fastest lap at 1’29″472, shaving half a second off Norris, but only a tenth off Hamilton.
Lap 44: Norris clocks the fastest lap at 1’29″262, which Verstappen betters at 1’29″105! Hamilton holds a 2.2-second lead over Norris, who is 2.4 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Piastri is 11 seconds back with a similar gap to Sainz. The rest of the field stabilizes.
Lap 45: Verstappen continues to close in, reducing the gap by three tenths per lap. He is now 2 seconds behind Norris and 4.1 seconds off Hamilton.
Lap 46: Verstappen is 1.5 seconds behind Norris, while the latter has slightly lost pace to Hamilton, trailing by 2.7 seconds.
Lap 47: Hamilton and Norris concede just a tenth to Verstappen on the 46th lap. The leader is 2.7 seconds ahead, with Norris seeing Verstappen closing to 1.1 seconds.
Lap 48: Verstappen is under a second behind Norris, who tries to break out of the DRS zone but now sees the Red Bull looming closer. Meanwhile, Hamilton extends his lead over Norris by 3 seconds. Piastri sets the fastest lap at 1’29″049. Verstappen makes his move on Norris, taking second place!
Lap 49: Hamilton’s lead over Verstappen extends to 3.3 seconds, as Verstappen records the fastest lap at 1’28″952. Norris attempts to catch Verstappen but falls further back.
Lap 50: With three laps remaining, the gap between the two leaders stands at 3.1 seconds!
Lap 51: Hamilton maintains a 2.8-second lead with two laps to go, while Sainz pits to chase the fastest lap and an additional point. With a 27-second cushion over Hülkenberg, the Spaniard can afford the gamble.
Final Lap: Hamilton holds a 2.5-second lead as the last lap begins, while Piastri sets the fastest lap of the race at 1’28″748!
Finish: And it’s a victory for Lewis Hamilton in front of an ecstatic British crowd! This marks Mercedes’ second consecutive win, and the first for the seven-time world champion since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP! It’s his 104th career victory, his ninth at Silverstone, making him the first driver to win nine times at a single circuit.
Verstappen finishes second, followed by Norris and Piastri, who will rue strategic errors. Sainz claims fifth and sets the fastest lap at 1’28″293. Hülkenberg secures sixth for the second week running, ahead of Stroll and Alonso. Albon overtakes Tsunoda to finish ninth ahead of the Japanese driver.
Sargeant finishes 11th, just outside the points, followed by Magnussen, Ricciardo, Leclerc, Bottas, Ocon, and Pérez, who pitted to attempt the fastest lap but failed, clocking in 1.4 seconds slower than Sainz. Zhou finishes 18th and last.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Diff | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 52 Laps- 1h22m27.059s | 2 |
| 02 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | +1.465 | 2 |
| 03 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | +7.547 | 2 |
| 04 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | +12.429 | 2 |
| 05 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | +47.318 | 3 |
| 06 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | +55.722 | 2 |
| 07 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | +56.569 | 2 |
| 08 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | +63.577 | 2 |
| 09 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | +68.387 | 2 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | +79.303 | 2 |
| 11 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | +88.960 | 2 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | +90.153 | 2 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 14 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | +1 lap | 3 |
| 15 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | +2 laps | 4 |
| 17 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | +2 laps | 4 |
| 18 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | +2 laps | 4 |
| 19 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | DNF | 2 |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | DNF | 0 |
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