Formula 1’s 2023 British Grand Prix Race Review
Max on top, Lando Surprise!
The British Grand Prix and Formula 1 came together in July, and the iconic Silverstone Circuit set the stage for an exciting weekend. Max Verstappen entered the race with a commanding lead in the driver’s championship, and despite his comfortable lead, there was no chance of him slowing down. On the other hand, the rest of the field of drivers would have to compete amongst themselves, vying for supremacy over their rivals. The British Grand Prix held some interesting surprises, including Mclaren’s surprise performance over the weekend, giving the home crowd plenty to cheer for by the time the weekend was through. Let’s look at the 2023 British Grand Prix and see how it unfolded.
Qualifying
Qualifying at the 2023 British Grand Prix was full of surprises and intense battles. Held under cloudy skies with a touch of rain, the session had its fair share of drama. Lewis Hamilton had a spin but recovered well, while Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon had their lap times deleted for track limits violations. Sergio Pérez faced disappointment as he was eliminated in Q1, continuing his streak of poor qualifying performances. Valtteri Bottas broke down, and several drivers were eliminated in Q1.
In Q2, Norris briefly topped the session before Verstappen secured pole position. The final qualifying session (Q3) saw Verstappen maintain his pole position, with Norris and Piastri securing second and third place. Bottas was disqualified post-qualifying but allowed to start from the back of the grid.
Verstappen claimed his fifth pole position of the season, making him the clear favorite for the race yet again.
Race Day
Lando Norris made an exceptional start off the line, overtaking polesitter Max Verstappen to take the lead. He held the position for the first four laps before Verstappen, aided by the DRS, successfully regained the lead.
Lewis Hamilton swiftly passed Pierre Gasly and started chasing Fernando Alonso. However, Hamilton faced difficulties overtaking Alonso until he executed a well-timed DRS move. Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon engaged in a fight for position, but unfortunately, Ocon had to retire due to a hydraulics leak. Alexander Albon held the tenth position.
Rain was reported during the race, but it didn’t reach a point that required a switch to wet weather tires. Instead, drivers opted for different dry tire strategies. Yuki Tsunoda was the first to change to soft tires, followed by Charles Leclerc, who opted for hards. Meanwhile, Verstappen continued to extend his lead, while Norris, satisfied with his pace, focused on defending against the drivers behind him. Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, reacted to Sergio Pérez’s pit stop and changed his tires, rejoining the race ahead of Leclerc and George Russell.
On lap 32, Kevin Magnussen’s Haas experienced a power unit fire, leading to his retirement from the race. Initially, a virtual safety car was deployed, but it was later upgraded to a full safety car. This allowed the field to make tire changes. Hamilton capitalized on the situation and gained positions in the pit lane, emerging in third place. However, Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Leclerc encountered misfortune during their pit stops, resulting in losing positions. Zhou Guanyu reported brake issues during the race.
When the safety car restarted the race, Verstappen maintained his lead until the checkered flag, with several battles unfolding behind him. Hamilton attempted to overtake Norris but was unsuccessful. Albon and Leclerc engaged in their battle in the final laps. Unfortunately, Stroll contacted Gasly’s rear-right suspension, leading to Gasly’s retirement. Stroll received a five-second penalty for the incident. Sergio Pérez, who recovered from a challenging qualifying session, secured a sixth-place finish.
Max cannot be caught.
Verstappen’s victory at the British Grand Prix marked his first win at Silverstone in Formula 1. Red Bull also ties the record set by Mclaren in the 80s for their 11th straight win in the series. Norris secured an outstanding second-place finish, marking his and McLaren’s first podium since the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Moreover, the podium finishes of Hamilton and Norris created a historic moment, as it was the first time since the 1999 British Grand Prix that two home drivers representing the United Kingdom stood on the same podium in the race.
The Hungarian Grand Prix is next in two weeks at the Hungaroring Circuit.
| RANK | DRIVER | COUNTRY | TEAM | FASTEST LAP |
| 1 | MAX VERSTAPPEN | NETHERLANDS | RED BULL | 1:30.275 |
| 2 | LANDO NORRIS | BRITAIN | MCLAREN | |
| 3 | LEWIS HAMILTON | BRITAIN | MERCEDES | |
| 4 | OSCAR PIASTRI | AUSTRALIA | MCLAREN | |
| 5 | GEORGE RUSSEL | BRITAIN | MERCEDES | |
| 6 | SERGIO PEREZ | MEXICO | RED BULL | |
| 7 | FERNANDO ALONSO | SPAIN | ASTON MARTIN | |
| 8 | ALEXANDER ALBON | THAILAND | WILLIAMS | |
| 9 | CHARLES LECLERC | MONACO | FERRARI | |
| 10 | CARLOS SAINZ JR | SPAIN | FERRARI | |
| 11 | LOGAN SARGEANT | UNITED STATES | WILLIAMS | |
| 12 | VALTERRI BOTTAS | FINLAND | ALFA ROMEO | |
| 13 | NIKO HULKENBERG | GERMANY | HAAS | |
| 14 | LANCE STROLL | CANADA | ASTON MARTIN | |
| 15 | ZHOU GUANYU | CHINA | ALFA ROMEO | |
| 16 | YUKI TSUNODA | JAPAN | ALPHA TAURI | |
| 17 | NICK DE VRIES | NETHERLANDS | ALPHA TAURI | |
| 18 | PIERRE GASLY | FRANCE | ALPINE | |
| RETIRED | KEVIN MAGNUSSEN-LAP 31 | DENMARK | HAAS | |
| RETIRED | ESTEBAN OCON-LAP 9 | FRANCE | ALPINE |
