Lando Norris holds off Lewis Hamilton as Silverstone witnesses changing-of-the-guard moment
By Tom Cary, Senior Sports Correspondent, at Silverstone
To his credit Lewis Hamilton took the insult well. “2007? Haha, yeah you’re pretty old,” Lando Norris remarked as they sat together in the post-race press conference. “I was only seven years old then!”
Norris, whose stunning second-place finish in Sunday’s British Grand Prix delighted a record Silverstone crowd of 160,000 fans, had just been asked for his memories of watching Hamilton during the seven-time world champion’s debut season at McLaren way back in 2007.
As the 23-year-old expanded on those recollections, including what he cheekily referred to as the “beautiful teamwork” between Hamilton and his then team-mate and fierce rival Fernando Alonso, and as Hamilton smiled and laughed along, there was a distinct feeling of a changing of the guard.
For years, British Grand Prix crowds have relied on Hamilton to lead the home charge. And he has done a pretty good fist of it – just the eight wins and 14 podium finishes. But with Hamilton now 38, and entering his final few seasons (assuming he does eventually sign that long-awaited contract extension) it is time for new heroes to emerge from his shadow.
Norris’s runner-up finish here, which involved him staving off a concerted attack from Hamilton in the final laps following the removal of a mid-race safety car, was as timely as it was impressive and the crowds clearly loved it, chanting “Lando, Lando” as he conducted his post-race interview in the pitlane.
McLaren’s strong recent form offers real hope that Norris can challenge consistently in the future. And it is not just Norris. There were four British drivers in the top eight with George Russell fifth for Mercedes, and Alex Albon eighth in a Williams, which is starting to look more competitive under the leadership of James Vowles. British race fans can look ahead with real optimism. The battle between Norris and Russell, in particular, should be something to savour over the next decade or more, assuming either or both McLaren and Mercedes can ever get back up to Red Bull’s level.
No wonder Norris was smiling. “This is the best,” he replied without hesitation when asked where this podium finish ranked with his other six, including that second place at Monza in 2021 behind then team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. “This is the most exciting. My first podium [Austria, 2020] was special. You remember them all forever. Well, maybe not when you’ve got as many as Mercedes. [But] hearing everyone chanting, it’s special. Seeing all the fans chanting, seeing all the team.”
It might have been even better. Norris got off to a flyer from P2 on the grid, passing Max Verstappen into Abbey. And while the Dutchman was able to reclaim first spot on lap five, and never looked threatened thereafter, collecting his sixth win on the trot to stretch his lead in the drivers’ championship to a massive 99 points, Norris and McLaren were competitive throughout. Team-mate Oscar Piastri would surely have taken third place had he not been caught out by a safety car which was introduced on lap 33 after Kevin Magnussen’s Haas caught fire.
That safety car period allowed Hamilton, who had not yet stopped, to jump from seventh to third, And when the race resumed on lap 39, the Silverstone crowds were treated to a marvellous battle between the seasoned warrior Hamilton and young pretender Norris for second spot.
Norris had for some reason had been put onto hard tyres for his final stint despite having stated a preference for soft tyres that would not cool as much behind the safety car. And Hamilton nearly took immediate advantage, diving up the inside of Luffield on lap 41 and keeping it there through Woodcote before backing out prior to Copse.
The grandstands roared their approval while simultaneously chewing their fingernails. Eventually, with his tyres sufficiently warmed up, Norris was able to keep Hamilton at a more comfortable distance, impressing the seven-time F1 champion, who told his race engineer in the warmdown lap that Norris’s pace through the high-speed corners had been “insane”.
Hamilton was equally generous in the press conference later on. While Verstappen sat between them looking rather bored – this was, after all, his eighth win in 10 rounds this year and an 11th in a row for Red Bull, matching the all-time record of the McLaren MP4/4 – the two British drivers spoke about their admiration for one another.
“Yeah, he’s very talented naturally as you can see,” Hamilton said of Norris’ racecraft during those final laps. “I think it’s great if you can have close battles like that and rely on the driver you are racing against to be hard but fair. There was never a moment today when it crossed the line.”
Norris looked understandably thrilled at this appraisal. But in what was a very mature press conference, he was also careful to praise his team-mate Piastri, crediting the Australian with having pushed him this year. “It’s raised the level of the whole team,” he admitted. “It makes my life tough sometimes. I haven’t always liked it. But at the end of the day, it’s made me a better driver. It’s a shame he’s not sat here too. He should be.”
Norris was careful, too, to state that McLaren fans should not get too carried away by this result. While the car’s performance through high-speed corners was, he said, “almost on a par with what Red Bull can achieve”, their performance in slow-speed corners was “still pretty terrible”.
Ultimately, though, Norris could not hide his pride and excitement at battling with Hamilton in front of 160,000 raucous fans at his home grand prix, and coming out on top.
“Watching [Hamilton] in 2007/8... that’s genuinely what made me want to become a racing driver today,” he reflected, smiling. “I guess little did I know Lewis would be here 15 years later and still going strong. Fair play to him. It’s special and I guess I want to be someone who can join in on those battles and create some of my own history.”
He is going the right way about it.
As it happened...
05:04 PM BST
Another fine weekend for Alexander Albon
A little under the radar given what happened with two other British-born drivers on the podium but this takes him to 11 points for the season and moves Williams ahead of Alfa Romeo and into eighth.
04:53 PM BST
Updated constructor standings
46 points the gap between Mercedes in second and Ferrari in fourth. A rotten weekend for Ferrari and Aston Martin despite Alonso’s seventh, I guess. A bad one for Alpine, too, who now fall behind McLaren in the standings. A double retirement for Alpine and 30 points for McLaren...
04:49 PM BST
Updated driver standings - Top 10
04:49 PM BST
Lewis Hamilton on his third
“Firstly I didn’t do it [the podium], the crowd did it. I felt the energy, I felt the support, this is the reason why we got back up there. A big, big congratulations to Lando and McLaren, it’s my family, it’s where I started. That thing was rapid through the high speed corners, wow, I couldn’t keep up.
“I think this is a good positive for us as a team to know we’re not that far away. Once he [Norris] goes through turns 13 and 15 he’s gone. We had good performance in the low speed... just didn’t have the grunt on the straights. To start seventh and come third is a mega mega job from the team.”
04:45 PM BST
Lando Norris on a career-best result and a home podium
“Pretty insane. I just want to say a big thanks to the whole team, they’ve done an amazing job. They put me on hard tyres, I don’t know why, they are still beginners in some things! I did what I could, I brought the fight to Max as much as possible. It’s a long lonely race when you’re on your own.
“I think they just wanted to give me a bit more of a test [putting him on the hard tyres], I wanted the softs, I feel like it made a bit more sense... I don’t care, I’m P2 so all good. The whole in lap I was just trying to wave to everyone. Honestly we should have had a P2 and P3, Oscar did an amazing job but he would have had a podium here today without a safety car.”
04:43 PM BST
Verstappen reacts to his victory
“We had a terrible start so we need to look into why that was, but even after that especially both McLarens were super quick. It took a few laps to pass them. After the safety car on the softest compound around here it was a little tricky to keep them alive. Very happy that we won again. 11 wins in a row for the team, I think that’s pretty incredible but it wasn’t straight-forward today.
“I was doing a bit of drifting on Thursday with marketing and it felt like I was also doing that at the start... it was just very bad. I think the last few starts were a lot better but today wasn’t great. At least it made it a little bit more exciting. He [Norris] had good pace today.”
04:33 PM BST
That means Max Verstappen increases his lead in the standings to...
...99 points after 10 rounds. You can work out the average advantage over the second-placed man quite easily. All the more remarkable given Perez actually won two races this season.
04:31 PM BST
British GP - Classification
VER
NOR
HAM
PIA
RUS
PER
ALO
ALB
LEC
SAI
SAR
BOT
HUL
STR
ZHO
TSU
DEV
OUT: GAS, MAG, OCO
04:30 PM BST
Lando Norris a superb second
Hamilton third, two Britons on the podium. Piastri fourth and Russell fifth.
04:30 PM BST
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Had to think about it a bit. But this is his sixth win in a row and his eighth in 10 rounds this year. With Perez only sixth that is another big addition to his lead in the championship.
11 wins in a row for Red Bull, matching the record of the McLaren MP4/4.
04:28 PM BST
FINAL LAP
Can Albon get Alonso? Can Leclerc get Albon? That is the big battle now.
No and no looks to be the answer.
04:27 PM BST
Lap 51 of 52 - Stroll's five-second penalty wasn't for track limits
My mistake, it was for causing a collision with Gasly, which then caused his retirement.
Hamilton now 2.1s behind Norris and Piastri a further two seconds behind him. Piastri probably deserves a podium today, but he was a bit disadvantaged by stopping under racing conditions when Hamilton then stopped under the SC.
04:25 PM BST
Lap 50 of 52 - Verstappen leads Norris by 3.5s
It will be a small winning margin and Norris held the lead for a few laps and kept Verstappen honest thereafter.
Stroll gets a five-second penalty for track limits.
04:23 PM BST
Lap 49 of 52 - Norris gets a black and white flag for track limits
Another error in that regard and then he will lose five seconds which would drop him down to fifth currently...
04:22 PM BST
Lap 48 of 52 - Gasly makes it back to the pits and that is a double Alpine retirement
Russell gets a black and white flag for track limits. Something he did not receive last weekend, I believe.
04:21 PM BST
Lap 47 of 52 - Albon chasing Alonso
Who is himself chasing Perez.
04:20 PM BST
Lap 46 of 52 - Norris builds nearly two seconds to Hamilton
Nice. Could be two Britons on the podium and another in fifth.
04:19 PM BST
Lap 45 of 52 - Norris has edged away from Hamilton
1.3s the gap. Verstappen in clear air ahead and cruising to an eighth victory in 10 races this year. Russell 1.5s away from Piastri and failing to make to much of an impression.
Gasly has a problem as he slides off the track. Initially looks like a puncture as the car is crabbing but then maybe it is not. He’s at the back now and will have to crawl back to the pit lane.
04:16 PM BST
Lap 44 of 52 - Ferrari having a shocker here again
Sainz loses two spots in two corners, first to Perez at the final turn and then to Albon (up the inside, no less!) in turn one. Leclerc then mugs him for ninth soon after and it looks like Sainz is going to finish well out of the points here. Unless his hard tyre reignite and others softs and mediums go off...
04:14 PM BST
Lap 43 of 52 - Top 10 and gaps
VER
NOR +3.3
HAM +3.7
PIA +5.5
RUS +6.5
ALO +9.2
SAI +9.8
PER +10.1
ALB +10.8
LEC +11.4
04:13 PM BST
Lap 42 of 52 - Perez on the charge
He closes up on Sainz at the end of the last lap. Russell is within DRS range of Piastri in fourth, but Piastri more than holding his own.
Verstappen says the soft “doesn’t really feel good”. He leads Norris by three seconds. Has Hamilton missed his best chance with his tyre advantage? Possibly, but that does not mean he will not get another chance...
04:10 PM BST
Lap 41 of 52 - Hamilton up the inside of Norris at Luffield
And he keeps it there through Woodcote but backs out before he gets to Copse!
Verstappen leads Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Russell and Alonso. Russell says the McLaren is so fast on the hards that it’s impressive. DRS enabled and that makes Norris’s life a lot harder.
04:09 PM BST
Lap 40 of 52 - Race restarts
Verstappen disappears up the road so it’s Hamilton vs Norris for second and Norris is defending for his life but lacking grip compared to Hamilton. He needs to fire those hard tyres up. Excellent defending from Norris and he keeps second for the time being.
Verstappen already two seconds up the road...
04:07 PM BST
Lap 38 of 52 - SC coming in at the end of this lap
Verstappen backs up the pack as they enter the Hangar Straight. This has not worked out at all well for McLaren. Just 14 racing laps left after the SC comes in and there are few drivers who have matched McLaren’s strategy today... they’d surely settle for a podium now.
04:04 PM BST
Lap 37 of 52 - How many racing laps will we have?
Cannot imagine we are far away from the SC coming in. It could be a grandstand finish, at least behind Verstappen.
04:02 PM BST
Lap 36 of 52 - SC still out
Norris asks what tyres Hamilton has on. He is told he is on softs and says “Lovely. Wonderful, huh?”.
04:00 PM BST
Lap 35 of 52 - Top 10 under the SC
VER - Soft tyre
NOR - Hard tyre
HAM - Soft tyre
PIA - Hard tyre
RUS - Medium tyre
ALO - Soft tyre
SAI - Hard tyre
PER - Soft tyre
ALB - Soft tyre
LEC - Medium tyre
03:58 PM BST
Lap 34 of 52 - The leaders stop under the SC
Verstappen goes onto used softs... Norris on fresh hards and Hamilton on used softs. Interesting. Norris may be vulnerable under the SC restart...There’s only 18 laps left now, never mind how many racing laps we lose under the SC here. I am not sure that is the right choice for Norris. Piastri, who pitted before the VSC or SC was called, is on the hards too and will have a bunch of cars behind him on different tyres.
03:53 PM BST
Lap 33 of 52 - A flurry of pit stops now
Stoll and Gasly both come into the pits.
And Magnussen has pulled over to the side of the track, smoke coming out the back of his car and then flames. Virtual Safety Car has been deployed but will it need to be a full SC? A few drivers will make the most of this cheaper stop...
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED (LAP 34/52)
Magnussen grinds to a halt, and the Safety Car comes out!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/oHPKfLq3gr— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Leclerc makes the move to stop a second time.
Full Safety Car called now, which means surely the top four will stop and they will have EVEN cheaper pit stops.
Let’s see how this pans out.
03:51 PM BST
Lap 32 of 52 - Russell gets Leclerc at Luffield!
Lovely stuff, he’s into eighth now and that will help his podium fight.
03:50 PM BST
Lap 30 of 52 - Piastri has pitted
What will he go onto? Surely the hards going by what McLaren were saying. Yes. It’s a 2.4sec stop which is handy, too. Podium is well within his reach. Piastri comes out ahead of Albon and in sixth. Sainz has just set the fastest lap of the race as he chases down Stroll, for ninth. And he gets the move done with DRS into Brooklands.
It was a slow stop for Russell, 3.9sec. Probably costing him a second and a half overall. He is on the back of Leclerc again, and might have been ahead were it not for the slow stop.
03:48 PM BST
Lap 29 of 52 - Russell comes out in ninth
Just ahead of Stroll and he manages to stay ahead despite it being close coming out of the pit lane and into turn three.
03:47 PM BST
Lap 28 of 52 - Russell's soft tyres are still holding up
27 laps and he is lapping only a few tenths slower than Hamilton. Wonder if anyone will go medium/soft. Anyway, Russell finally stops and goes onto the mediums.
03:45 PM BST
Lap 27 of 52 - Norris losing around half a second a lap to Verstappen now
Piastri still roughly on the pace of his team-mate ahead. Norris asks how the hard tyres are looking. “Not amazing, but they are our best option,” he is told.
03:44 PM BST
Lap 27 of 52 - Sainz has pitted
He drops down to 12th behind his team-mate and Lance Stroll.
03:44 PM BST
Lap 26 of 52 - Norris loses 0.7sec to Verstappen the last time around
I wonder if he has reached that point of his pace dropping off. The gap is now nearly seven seconds.
03:42 PM BST
Lap 25 of 52 - Approaching half-distance
So here is the full order:
VER
NOR
PIA
RUS
SAI
HAM
ALO
GAS
PER
ALB
LEC
STR
SAR
DEV
BOT
MAG
TSU
ZHO
HUL
OUT: OCO
03:41 PM BST
Lap 24 of 52 - Norris asked how many laps he can do
“I’m happy, it’s consistent [something] until we say say so.” It was a message that was not easy to understand.
03:39 PM BST
Lap 23 of 52 - Verstappen leads Norris by 5.5s
Piastri is 2.2s behind Norris and Russell 5.4s behind Piastri. Hamilton closing in on Sainz, 1.2s the gap for fifth.
03:37 PM BST
Lap 22 of 52 - Russell is the only car in the top 10 on the softs
And his pace is... okay. He is basically matching Leclerc, who was in front of him before his stop and is now on fresh hard tyres. There will come a point when that ceases to be the case, though, as Russell’s tyres outlive their usefulness.
03:35 PM BST
Lap 21 of 51 - Norris asked how many laps he can do at this pace
He says he is consistent and he is happy at the moment. Verstappen sets the fastest lap of the race to extend his lead to 4.5s. Norris with decent pace, though, just not decent enough to trouble Verstappen.
03:32 PM BST
Lap 20 of 52 - Top 10 and gaps
VER
NOR +4.1
PIA +6.3
RUS +11.3
SAI +14.0
HAM +15.
ALO +20.0
GAS +20.5
PER +22.7
ALB +24.6
03:31 PM BST
Lap 19 of 52 - Leclerc told to pit
He moves onto a fresh set of hard tyres.
03:31 PM BST
Lap 18 of 52 - The Aston Martins having a difficult afternoon
Alonso in eighth, 4.1s behind Hamilton and Stroll in 12th. Probably their worst weekend – and at their home race.
03:29 PM BST
Lap 17 of 52 - Albon has dropped out of the points
Perez has nabbed that 10th spot to get himself into the points.
03:28 PM BST
Lap 16 of 52 - Verstappen now leads Norris by 3.4s
Piastri a further 1.8s behind and doing a fine job. Leclerc now four seconds behind Piastri, who sets the fastest second sector of the day. The Ferrari not really making any inroads. McLaren’s aim has to be to consolidate what they have. But there are a fair few cars with similar pace immediately behind them.
03:26 PM BST
Lap 15 of 52 - Top 15
VER
NOR
PIA
LEC
RUS
SAI
HAM
ALO
GAS
ALB
PER
STR
SAR
DEV
ZHO
03:25 PM BST
Lap 14 of 52 - Russell runs wide at turn one
Huge sparks as he clatters the kerbs as he chases Leclerc in fourth.
03:24 PM BST
Lap 13 of 52 - Verstappen on the radio
“Wind is making it difficult to drive at the moment,” he says.
03:22 PM BST
Lap 12 of 52 - Verstappen leads Norris by 1.8s
Hamilton not really making any inroads into Sainz for sixth. 3.2s the gap and around three-tenths the difference the last lap.
03:21 PM BST
Lap 11 of 52 - Verstappen extends his lead a bit
0.4s he took out of Norris that last time around, the biggest margin for a while. Piastri has also dropped back from Norris by 1.4s or so. Leclerc still 3.4s further down the road with Russell close behind. Perez has moved up into 12th. Verstappen informed there may be some light rain.
03:19 PM BST
Lap 10 of 52 - Norris still has good pace
Ocon comes into the pit lane to retire the car. I am not sure why.
Here is the top 10 and gaps:
VER
NOR +1.1
PIA +2.3
LEC +5.9
RUS +6.5
SAI +7.9
HAM +10.2
ALO +12.0
GAS +12.4
ALB +14.4
03:17 PM BST
Lap 9 of 52 - Verstappen leads Norris and Piastri
Piastri within DRS range of Norris, which is good to see. They have gapped the lead Ferrari of Leclerc behind by 3.4sec, with Russell on the softs half a second away from Leclerc but unable to get by.
03:15 PM BST
Lap 8 of 52 - Verstappen has not pulled away much
Norris only 1.1sec behind. Mind you, if that lead stretches so much that Norris no longer has DRS, then it could grow fairly quickly.
03:15 PM BST
Lap 7 of 52 - Hamilton gets Alonso into Brooklands
He moves up into seventh, Hulkenberg in 16th tags the rear right tyre of Perez and loses his front left wing endplate. Hulkenberg then pits for a change of tyres and a change of front wing.
03:12 PM BST
Lap 6 of 52 - Russell on the radio about Leclerc
“If that’s not moving under braking, I don’t know what is,” he says.
03:11 PM BST
Lap 5 of 52 - Russell has made good progress
But Hamilton has dropped back one place. Albon has slipped down a couple of places into 10th.
Verstappen takes the lead! He gets DRS down the straight into Brooklands and takes the place up the inside! Norris doesn’t really fight it. Fair enough.
03:09 PM BST
Lap 4 of 52 - Verstappen closing in on leader Norris
Not by a huge amount and Piastri is keeping Verstappen honest too with the fastest lap of the race last time around.
03:07 PM BST
Lap 3 of 52 - Top 10
NOR
VER
PIA
LEC
RUS
SAI
ALO
HAM
GAS
ALB
03:06 PM BST
Lap 2 of 52 - Norris lead Verstappen by one second
Piastri only a second behind Verstappen, too...
03:05 PM BST
THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX IS GO!
It’s a fantastic start from Lando Norris who takes the lead before the first corner! Verstappen then has his mirrors full of the second McLaren of Piastri behind him! Piastri tries a move up the inside of Copse but then backs out as Verstappen runs slightly wide!
LIGHTS OUT! LANDO NORRIS LEADS!!!!!#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/otbkgzkm5Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2023
Norris leads Verstappen, Piastri and Leclerc!
03:03 PM BST
Lando Norris lining up fairly aggressively on the grid
It has clouded over a bit now as we wait to get under way.
03:01 PM BST
The formation lap is go
Of the top 10, only Russell is not on the mediums. He is on used softs. Then it’s a mixture outside of the top 10. Only Hulkenberg and Bottas are on fresh hard tyres - it’s a mixture of mediums and softs for everyone else.
02:57 PM BST
This might be a slightly different formation lap...
...for a reason that will become apparent soon, I think.
02:51 PM BST
Grid time
And, of course, no surprise to see Sven-Goran Eriksson Gordon Ramsay in the crowd...
A regular race-goer is Gordon.
02:47 PM BST
Fair to say there will be some strategic variance today
A number of strategy options for the #BritishGP 🇬🇧
Two-stop, one-stop, every tyre is a race tyre – an exciting race day ahead! 😁 #Fit4F1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/s7qEWAcrlB— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) July 9, 2023
With the high-speed corners here a safety car is not out of the question, either.
02:40 PM BST
Starting grid
20 minutes to go so here is how they line up. Bottas takes a penalty so everyone from Perez down moves up one place.
1. VER 2. NOR
3. PIA 4. LEC
5. SAI 6. RUS
7. HAM 8. ALB
9. ALO 10. GAS.
11. HUL 12. STR
13. OCO 14. SAR
15. PER 16. TSU
17. ZHO 18. DEV
19. MAG 20. BOT
02:38 PM BST
Tom Cary is on the grid
He has spotted Adrian Newey, who is doing some spotting of his own at the McLarens behind his RB19 on pole.
Tom writes: “Newey checking out the competition. Impressed by the new front wing? McLaren say they are hopeful of keeping Ferrari behind them, in a possible DRS train.”
02:30 PM BST
Not bad McLaren, not bad
Their best qualifying performance since Brazil 2012, I believe.
📍 The front two rows, Silverstone#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/5dqXIAKlZ3
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 9, 2023
02:21 PM BST
What is the latest on the weather?
In the hour until 3pm: 40 per cent chance of light showers
In the hour until 4pm: 30 per cent chance of light showers
In the hour until 5pm: 30 per cent chance of light showers
02:17 PM BST
How each driver fares against his team-mate in qualifying
Some close fights in there... and some not so close.
02:15 PM BST
Hamilton speaks on the drivers' parade
With this crowd, anything is possible. The support we get from here is like nowhere else in the world. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. It’s difficult to know, in the last race the last race the Ferraris were quicker than us, the McLarens were quicker than us... I am hoping our race pace can either match them or be as strong as them. Attack, attack, attack.
02:10 PM BST
50 minutes until lights out
That means that the pit lane is about to open! Sergio Perez waiting eagerly for the lights at the end of the pit lane to turn green.
02:05 PM BST
How do the teams stack up in qualifying so far this year?
02:00 PM BST
Might Mercedes be in with a chance of a podium today?
George Russell certainly did not rule it out. Here’s what he said post qualifying yesterday.
“I mean we had our numbers suggesting we were 17th and 18th quickest in qualifying yesterday and third and fourth quickest in the race in FP2. Clearly we have made some improvements. I was pretty gutted to see the timesheets to see that we were only half a tenth from P3, which would have been incredible but my lap felt great.
“I don’t think there was a lot more in there. Lewis has been really on it this weekend and pushing me hard. Well done to McLaren they have come from nowhere and they are the big unknown for tomorrow.”
Will the race be stronger?
“I think so. We always tend to have a better Sunday than Saturday which is the right way to be. It’s an interesting grid. I think Fernando is a little bit out of position, obviously Checo is well out of position but McLaren is the unknown. They were strong in Austria, they seem really quick here. Let’s see what we can do.”
01:56 PM BST
Brad Pitt hit 150mph around Silverstone and nobody noticed him
He is one of Hollywood’s most recognisable faces, yet Brad Pitt is going largely unnoticed as the British Grand Prix doubles as a film set.
More than 100,000 spectators watched obliviously as Pitt got behind the wheel and roared around Silverstone’s circuit at 150mph for his first laps immediately after qualifying on Saturday.
Read more from Tom Morgan here.
01:51 PM BST
Current constructor standings
01:25 PM BST
Current driver standings, top 10
01:23 PM BST
Race start time
Apologies for my error earlier, the race actually starts at 3pm BST, not 2pm. It’s 2pm GMT.
01:05 PM BST
Weather forecast
How might the conditions pan out?
BRITISH GRAND PRIX WEATHER FORECAST
Mostly cloudy with a risk of showers throughout the afternoon. The risk of rain is 20–40%. Afternoon highs of 19–23°C with winds from the south-southwest at 15–25 km/hr.https://t.co/0eNsvpXk9J#F1 | #BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/ZFiQcElFkA— MeteoMotorsport (@MeteoMotorsport) July 9, 2023
It will probably be a dry race, in short, but there could be a few showers. That is not to say that it will be enough to affect the race.
01:05 PM BST
Times after qualifying
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:26.720
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:26.961
Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:27.092
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:27.136
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:27.148
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:27.155
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:27.211
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:27.530
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:27.659
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:27.689
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 Team 1:28.896
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:28.935
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:28.956
Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:29.031
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:29.798
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:29.968
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:30.025
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:30.123
Nyck de Vries (Ned) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:30.513
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 Team 1:32.378
12:58 PM BST
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12:00 PM BST
Good afternoon F1 fans
Welcome to our coverage for the 2023 British Grand Prix, from Silverstone. It is a track and a race that usually produces entertainment in one form or another and that was certainly the case during qualifying yesterday.
With rain falling sporadically but occasionally heavily in the build-up to the qualifying session yesterday, the track was not at its best as qualifying began. It was largely dry, although the Ferraris started on the intermediate tyres, but there was some jeopardy across the 20 cars out there.
The first shock was Sergio Perez going out in Q1. A red flag caused by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas breaking down which left a little over three minutes on the clock for the remaining 19 drivers to scamper around. It soon became clear that Perez’s lap might not be good enough, when he was behind even Logan Sargeant’s Williams. Perez failed to make Q3 for the fifth time in a row in one of the most dominant cars in F1 history. Whatever the conditions, that is shocking.
Q3, when it came round, was a thrill-a-minute session. In the end Max Verstappen took his fifth pole position in a row but not by a great deal. Behind him it was a fascinating session. Lando Norris took second and, for a brief moment, was in provisional pole position, giving the British fans even just a tiny bit of hope that something extraordinary could happen. In fairness, a front row start for this McLaren given their struggles earlier this year is extraordinary enough. Oscar Piastri, his rookie team-mate, had a nearly equally excellent session, finishing third. It will be his highest ever start in F1.
It was then the two Ferrari cars in fourth and fifth followed by the two Mercedes cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in sixth and seventh and then another standout qualifying performance from Alexander Albon who was in eighth. It is his fifth appearance in Q3 this year and his fourth in five races, the other being an 11th.
Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
Anyway, the race begins at 3pm BST and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from the British Grand Prix.