Lewis Hamilton claimed an emotional home win in the British Grand Prix, his first victory since the penultimate...
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Lewis Hamilton claimed an emotional home win in the British Grand Prix, his first victory since the penultimate race of 2021, ending the longest spell without a win in the seven-time world champion's illustrious career.
The Mercedes driver jumped ahead of Lando Norris during the final round of pit stops in a rain-hit race. The McLaren was subsequently unable to fend off Max Verstappen, and yielded P2 to the Red Bull with four laps to go.
Pole sitter George Russell led the initial part of the race but fall back when the rain arrived, and was then forced to retire with a water system issue. Alpine's Pierre Gasly also retired before the start with a gearbox issue.
For the first time at Silverstone, three British drivers led the field to the grid for the start of the British GP - George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, followed by Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver was keen to spoil the party that the home fans in the grandstand were keen to start.
There had been rain earlier and more was forecast, but it was overcast and dry for the start. Everyone was on new mediums with the exception of Zhou Guanyu and Esteban Ocon on softs. Sergio Perez - starting from pit lane after a disastrous qualifying and overnight engine changes - was alone on hard tyres.
Russell got a flying start, while his Mercedes team mate Hamilton swept across the front of the field to discourage anyone from attacking. That seemed to thwart Norris, allowing Verstappen to pass the McLaren for third. Further back Nico Hulkenberg had run wide, dropping him from sixth to ninth. It caught out Alex Albon who made contact with Fernando Alonso, sending a large chunk of bodywork flying off the Williams as he fell out of the top ten.
The two Mercedes cars looked assured at the front while Norris initially stayed within DRS range of Verstappen. They were followed by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, whose team mate Charles Leclerc had jumped up to P8 at the start behind Aston Martin's Lance Stroll.
Leclerc waited until lap 13 before making easy work of darting past Stroll at Stowe. Two laps later and Norris had a chance to do the same thing to Verstappen - and pulled it off with aplomb to wild acclaim from the crowd. Verstappen had been complaining about his tyres and it wasn't long before Piastri followed his team mate past the Red Bull. Seconds later the crowd was on its feet again, as Hamilton swept past Russell for the lead.
The crowd stayed standing as fans groped for ponchos and umbrellas as the anticipated rain arrived. Old hand Hamilton made the best of the conditions, and Norris took advantage of a brief wayward moment for Russell going off at turn 1 to pass the Mercedes for second.
The track was getting wetter, and DRS was disabled. It was now even too much for Hamilton, who couldn't stop Norris snatching the lead from him on lap 19. The MCL38 was clearly loving the mixed conditions with Piastri also blasting past first Russell and then Hamilton to make it a McLaren 1-2.
With the exception of Leclerc, none of the the leaders had pitted for wet tyres, the radar suggesting this would be a brief shower with heavier prolonged rain to follow. With little to lose, Perez switched to intermediates as a test for Verstappen, but he soon reported the track was largely too dry. Leclerc was faring no better, veering off track.
Race control re-enabled DRS on lap 24, but minutes later the rain pulsed again, heavier this time. Verstappen and Sainz pitted for inters on lap 26 with Norris in next time. Hamilton and Russell double-stacked in the Mercedes pit at the same time. but Piastri was sent round for another lap before his service, and it cost him time and position. Norris was left back in the lead from Hamilton, but Verstappen's quick stop had raised the Red Bull into third ahead of Russell and Sainz. Piastri dropped to P6 and 18s behind the leader.
Verstappen was still not looking comfortable, his tyres degrading quickly, allowing Russell to close the gap. Norris looked equally comfortable in both rain and dry conditions, while Hamilton - like Verstappen - worried about his inters burning up at a prodigious rate.
On lap 33, Russell received the call no driver ever wants to hear - instructed by the Mercedes pit wall to retire the car with a water system issue. It was his first DNF of the season, ending hopes of an all-British podium. There had already been one retirement, Pierre Gasly failing to start with a gearbox problem on the Alpine.
The rain had now stopped, the sun breaking through and the track drying rapidly. Time for slicks: Hamilton reacted immediately and pitted on lap 38 for softs; Verstappen also came in but opted for the hard compound; while Piastri chose the medium. Norris was in for softs on the next lap but the delay - and overrunning his pit box - cost him dear. He emerged in second behind new leader Hamilton.
Verstappen's choice of hard tyres proved the right one as he cut into the gap to the two Brits at the front. Verstappen cruised past Norris at Stowe - an inversion of their earlier encounter - with four laps remaining to chase and pass Hamilton. But the Mercedes had enough in reserve to take care of business and cross the line in P1, the first driver in F1 to win the same event nine times. Verstappen and Norris joined him on the podium.
Piastri finished fourth ahead of Sainz, with Hulkenberg recovering to sixth ahead of Aston pair Stroll and Alonso. Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda picked up the final points for Williams and RB respectively, meaning Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen just missed out.
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