Lando Norris Wins Rainy and Chaotic British Grand Prix

Lando Norris won a dramatic British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday, in a race full of rain, crashes, and safety cars. He took the lead in the final few laps after his teammate Oscar Piastri received a 10-second penalty.

For most of the race, Piastri was leading and looked set to win. But when the safety car left the track, he braked too hard, which caused a problem and earned him the penalty from the race stewards.

That gave Norris the chance to win – as long as he stayed on the track and didn’t make any mistakes. It wasn’t easy, with the wet weather causing several drivers to spin or crash.

After the race, Norris told Sky Sports: “It’s beautiful. This is everything I dreamed of. Apart from winning a championship, this is the best feeling I’ve had in racing. I’m so proud – and it all started for me watching races like this on TV.”

By winning, Norris closed the gap to Piastri in the driver standings. He is now only eight points behind.

Piastri still finished second, while Nico Hulkenberg of Kick Sauber came third. It was the German driver’s first-ever F1 podium – in his 239th race – after starting all the way back in 19th position.

His team was thrilled, shouting “Nico! Nico! Nico!” as they celebrated with him.

“What a race, coming from nearly last,” Hulkenberg said. “It feels unreal. I don’t know how it happened really. The conditions were crazy – it was a battle just to survive.”

The race was busy from the beginning. Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc changed tyres before the start. Max Verstappen, who was on pole, started well, but further back, Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon crashed, causing a virtual safety car.

Soon after that ended, Gabriel Bortoleto had to stop his car near the pit lane, which brought out another safety car.

Once racing resumed, Verstappen and Piastri fought for the lead. Verstappen defended hard, but Piastri passed him without too much trouble.

Then the rain came. Verstappen struggled with grip and slid off track, allowing Norris to pass him. All three front runners then pitted, but Norris had a slow stop and fell behind Verstappen again.

As the rain got heavier, visibility worsened, and another safety car came out.

Later, when racing restarted, Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar hit the back of Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. This crash caused yet another safety car.

Piastri was leading with Verstappen behind him. As the safety car left the track, Piastri braked sharply, and Verstappen accidentally overtook him. Piastri sped off again, and Verstappen spun trying to keep up, dropping to 10th place.

Piastri’s move was reviewed by the stewards, who gave him a 10-second penalty. He was not happy but said little: “I’m not going to say much – I’ll get myself in trouble. Well done to Nico, that’s the highlight today. Apparently, you can’t brake behind the safety car anymore.”

Even though Piastri stayed in front, he couldn’t build a 10-second lead over Norris. McLaren later brought him into the pits, allowing Norris to take the lead and win the race. He became emotional on the team radio after winning at home.

Verstappen recovered to finish fifth, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.