British GP: Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen to claim record ninth victory at Silverstone | F1 News

British GP: Lewis Hamilton holds off Max Verstappen to claim record ninth victory at Silverstone | F1 News


Lewis Hamilton triumphed in a thrilling British Grand Prix to claim a record ninth victory at Silverstone and end a run of 56 races without a win.

Hamilton held off a late charge from world championship leader Max Verstappen to hang on for victory at his home race after the Red Bull driver had overtaken McLaren’s Lando Norris in the closing stages after a chaotic rain-interrupted contest.

The seven-time world champion had not won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and has now ensured his final season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari next year will be marked by a victory.

The record-extending 104th grand prix victory of Hamilton’s career saw him become the first Formula 1 driver to win the same race nine times, extending a record he had previously shared with Michael Schumacher. He also extended a record run for podiums at the same race to 12.

Lewis Hamilton wins the British GP and is left emotional on the team radio straight after.

“Since 2021, every day I’m getting up and fighting to train to put my mind to the task and work as hard as I can with this amazing team,” Hamilton said.

“This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team. I wanted to win this so much for them because I love them and appreciate them so much.

Lando Norris takes full advantage of some slippery conditions at Silverstone, as he overtakes both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for the race lead

“All the hard work they put in over these years. I’m forever grateful to everyone at Mercedes and all our partners. And to all our incredible fans. I could see you lap by lap. There’s no greater feeling to finish at the front here.”

British GP result: Top 10

1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull

3) Lando Norris, McLaren

4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren

5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

6) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

7) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

8) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

9) Alex Albon, Williams

10)Yuki Tsunoda, RB

How Hamilton claimed record win

Having started from second behind George Russell, Hamilton took the lead on lap 18 as his Mercedes team-mate struggled as rain began to fall.

However, Hamilton too found the conditions difficult and only held the lead briefly before Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri came through to occupy the top two places.

Russell retired from the British Grand Prix with a suspected water issue

Hamilton regained second when the intensifying rain forced the field to switch from slick tyres to intermediates around the midway point, as McLaren cost Piastri time by not joining Mercedes in double-stacking their cars in the pits.

Verstappen, who had struggled on the opening stint as he dropped back to fifth, was brought back into play by a smartly timed Red Bull pit stop as he climbed to third, with Russell suddenly retiring from fourth because of a technical issue.

Max Verstappen overtook Lando Norris for second as he looked to chase down Lewis Hamilton for the race win

The rain then eased to leave a final key pit stop for the leaders to switch back to slick tyres, which saw Hamilton undercut Norris for the lead as Mercedes brought him in a lap earlier than the McLaren.

Both went for soft tyres, while the looming Verstappen was on a hard tyre which would give him greater freedom to push in the final stages.

Verstappen passed Norris with four full circuits of the 52-lap race remaining, but Hamilton expertly managed his tyres to maintain a relatively comfortable 1.5s margin at the chequered flag.

Lewis Hamilton and his engineer Peter Bonnington celebrate on the podium together following his emotional British GP victory!

The victory resulted in triumphant celebrations from the British fans at Silverstone, while a tearful Hamilton exchanged emotional messages over team radio with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and his long-time race engineer Peter Bonnington.

The 39-year-old waved a Union Flag out of his cockpit after taking the chequered flag, before being greeted by his mother and father immediately after exiting the car.

Hamilton’s celebrations – in pictures

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates with his mother after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates with his father after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain celebrates on the podium after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack, Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Verstappen extends championship lead amid Hamilton glory

While he was unable to deny Hamilton on this occasion, Verstappen’s late surge and pass on Norris ensured that he further extended his world championship lead over the Brit.

A dominant start to the season that saw Verstappen win four of the first five races is now a distant memory, with the Dutchman having had to settle for just three victories across the next seven grands prix.

His 84-point lead over Norris at the halfway stage of the 24-race season puts him in an extremely strong position to claim a fourth successive drivers’ title.

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull maximised their result by finishing second

As was the case when he claimed hard-fought victories in Canada and Spain in June, Verstappen needed all of his – and Red Bull’s – excellence to ensure Norris didn’t make ground.

Despite having brought upgrades to Silverstone, the RB20 couldn’t match the pace of either Mercedes or McLaren for much of the race, and it was only when Verstappen had the hard tyre on the final stint that he was finally able to pressure his rivals.

That wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the timing of his switch to intermediate tyres and then Red Bull’s decision to give him hard tyres for the final stint.

In contrast, a distraught Norris felt that his and McLaren’s strategic calls had cost him a first home victory.

Listen into the cool-down room where Lewis Hamilton offers some advice to a despondent Lando Norris about McLaren’s strategy

Allowing Hamilton to pit earlier at the end gave him the opportunity to undercut, but perhaps more importantly, McLaren gave Norris the same soft tyre as the Mercedes, when the new medium they had available was shown to be much faster by Piastri, who used it for his final stint.

Since claiming his maiden F1 victory in Miami in May, Norris has had a very strong chance of winning five of the six races that have followed, but a failure to take advantage of what has often been the fastest car on the track has left the 24-year-old hugely frustrated.

“I know [it’s a podium at the British GP] but I’m fed up of just saying I should have done better and I should have done this and could have done that, or whatever,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.

“I don’t care if it takes time, I don’t want it to take time. I should be doing it now, we should be winning now. I should be making better decisions than what I’m making.

“I’m just disappointed, it’s a win. It’s a win in Formula 1 and I’m not going to settle for something less when we should have achieved it.”

Lando Norris believes he threw away the race win after making the wrong tyre choice and he should be making better decisions instead of missing out on victories

Piastri claimed fourth to secure another strong haul of points for McLaren, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz fifth and claiming an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for a second successive race as Haas claimed another superb result, with the German finish ahead of Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Williams’ Alex Albon and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the points.

Red Bull are 71 points clear of Ferrari at the top of the constructors’ standings, with both teams only getting points from one driver as Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez finished outside the points after switching to intermediate tyres too early when the rain arrived.

Third-placed McLaren closed their deficit to Red Bull to 78 points, while Mercedes are now 152 points off the leaders.

British GP Result

Driver Team Time
1) Lewis Hamilon Mercedes 1:22:27.059s
2) Max Verstappen Red Bull +1.465
3) Lando Norris McLaren +7.547
4) Oscar Piastri McLaren +12.439
5) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +47.318
6) Nico Hulkenberg Haas +55.722
7) Lance Stroll Aston Martin +56.569
8) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +63.577
9) Alex Albon Williams +68.387
10) Yuki Tsunoda RB +79.303
11) Logan Sargeant Williams +88.960
12) Kevin Magnussen Haas +90.153
13) Daniel Ricciardo RB +1 lap
14) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1 lap
15) Valtteri Bottas Sauber +1 lap
16) Esteban Ocon Alpine +2 laps
17) Sergio Perez Red Bull +2 laps
18) Zhou Guanyu Sauber +2 laps
George Russell Mercedes DNF
Pierre Gasly Alpine DNF

Next up for F1 is the Hungarian Grand Prix from Budapest on July 19-21. You can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

British GP predictions: Sky Sports F1 pick Silverstone winner from George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen | F1 News

British GP predictions: Sky Sports F1 pick Silverstone winner from George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen | F1 News



Ahead of the British Grand Prix, the Sky Sports F1 team predict who will come out on top in Sunday’s race at Silverstone.

For the first time at Silverstone, three Brits occupy the first three slots on the grid after George Russell beat Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris to pole.

While the crowd will rightly show up hopeful of a British victory, it’s far from guaranteed with world championship leader Max Verstappen waiting to pounce on any opportunity from fourth place, while Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri cannot be discounted from fifth.

With which team has the fastest car not completely clear following interchangeable conditions through the weekend, the race will begin as one of F1’s most difficult to predict for a long time.

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and fans celebrate England’s win over Switzerland on penalties to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024.

Throw into the mix that the unseasonable weather is set to continue, and an absolute classic could be on the cards at the famous circuit.

With such an enticing prospect in store, the Sky Sports F1 team shared their predictions for Sunday’s race following qualifying:

Karun Chandhok, Sky Sports F1 pundit

Winner: George Russell

I think that he’s really on a good run of form and I think the Mercedes is really suited to this circuit. He’s just driving really well and I have this gut feeling he can hold off the other three. But I would say that Verstappen in fourth is probably the biggest threat.

Ted Kravitz, Sky Sports F1 pit lane reporter

Winner: Max Verstappen

I think George is going to lead away at the start. Max is going to come through in his repaired car and fight with Lando and Lewis. I’d expect the rain will hold off and it will come down to a fight between Russell and Verstappen, with Max getting it in the end. At the finish: Max, Lando, George.

Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz looks back at all the big talking points from Qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports F1 pundit

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

The good news is all the Brits have a chance to win. But if I had to put my money on anyone, it would be Lewis Hamilton. I think what we would really like to see is a sixth different winner this season, and he can be the driver to deliver that.

Simon Lazenby, Sky Sports F1 presenter

Winner: Max Verstappen

I think Verstappen will win because he had a damaged floor in qualifying. Whilst I hope for the fans that they get a British winner, I feel that Max is on a mission and will be very quick with a repaired floor. We haven’t seen his true pace yet.

George Russell says being on pole at his home Grand Prix is the ‘best feeling’ he has ever had after a qualifying session.

Craig Slater, Sky Sports News reporter

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando and Verstappen are the two best right now in terms of form, and in terms of car speed over race distance, and they will emerge eventually at the front. The Mercedes cars might lead for a while but over race distance the Mercedes is not yet able to compete even in these more favourable conditions. I take Lewis to win the battle with George for the final podium spot.

Nigel Chiu, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando Norris was great throughout Friday and I think McLaren will have a pace advantage over Mercedes. Norris must keep Verstappen behind at the start, then he can use pace and strategy to overcome the two Mercedes cars. If it’s wet, I also think Norris will show his class and make up for coming close in Canada.

Lando Norris says he expected Mercedes to be his main contenders for pole and will look to bring the fight to them from P3 tomorrow.

James Galloway, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

If there’s going to be at least one more big day in the glittering Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes story, then perhaps this Silverstone Sunday is going to be it. While he missed out on what would have been a record-extending eighth home pole to his team-mate, a front-row start still leaves Hamilton very handily placed.

His qualifying may have underwhelmed for much of his final Mercedes campaign so far, but race days have still usually proved a little more fruitful. Of course, no one knows better than Hamilton how to win around Silverstone and as his ongoing run of 10 consecutive podiums show, he tends to find a way on home ground.

Sam Johnston, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando Norris and his McLaren team have been oozing confidence throughout the weekend, even after an error in qualifying cost him a shot at pole on Saturday. He and the team will need to show they have learnt from moments in recent races that have cost them victory, but with a clean race I suspect the papaya car has the pace to get past both of the Silver Arrows.

Have your say!

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Here’s what you can look forward to during coverage of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

British GP preview: George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris in battle for home victory with Max Verstappen lurking | F1 News

British GP preview: George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris in battle for home victory with Max Verstappen lurking | F1 News



After a dream qualifying result for the fans at Silverstone, Sunday’s British Grand Prix could hardly be better set up to provide further drama.

George Russell beat his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to pole, with Lando Norris taking third for McLaren to create a British front three on the grid for the first time in Formula 1 at Silverstone, and the first time at any track since 1968.

If the prospect of an all-British battle for victory didn’t provide enough tension, there’s also the lurking threat posed by world championship leader Max Verstappen, starting from fourth.

Interchangeable conditions throughout the weekend so far, with the extremes of the July weather extreme even for Britain, have made it very tricky to work out who will have the strongest race pace.

Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who starts fifth, appeared strongest in the dry on Friday, while Russell and Hamilton excelled in wet conditions on Saturday, before taking pole on a cool, drying circuit.

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and fans celebrate England’s win over Switzerland on penalties to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024.

Verstappen, meanwhile, has so far failed to get the best out of his upgraded Red Bull, but was handicapped in the latter stages of qualifying after a trip onto the gravel in the opening part of the session damaged his car.

With the forecast promising a mixture of showers and sunshine once more on Sunday, it is almost impossible to work out who is most likely to end the day on the top step of the podium, creating a marvellous spectacle for F1 fans.

Who has the fastest car?

It’s an almost impossible question to answer, but we’ll try.

The consensus among those involved seems to be that, as has been the case over recent weeks, Verstappen and Norris would likely have a slight edge over Mercedes in dry conditions.

The pair were on course last weekend in Austria to finish as the top two for a third successive race, before their controversial collision gifted victory to Russell.

George Russell says being on pole at his home Grand Prix is the ‘best feeling’ he has ever had after a qualifying session.

“Realistically we know we’re probably a tenth or two behind Lando and Max, but I think we’ve got a good fight on our hands,” Russell said.

“But the weather’s going to play a huge part in that. You know, it’s been raining and drying up throughout the last couple of days. There’s a bit of rain on the forecast tomorrow.”

Norris, who isn’t usually one for overly optimistic assessments of his chances, appeared to remain in a positive frame of mind after blowing his chances of pole with a mistake in the early stages of his final flying lap in qualifying.

“We’ve been very quick in the races over the last two months,” Norris said. “It’s probably been one of our strengths.

“It’s been actually race pace over qualifying pace. But this is a very different type of circuit. It’s a very different layout. But it’s still a strength. And hopefully it comes back towards us a little bit tomorrow.”

Lando Norris says he expected Mercedes to be his main contenders for pole and will look to bring the fight to them from P3 tomorrow.

As for Verstappen, who before his collision with Norris last week had been on a brilliant run of form that saw him snatch victories away from the seemingly faster McLaren, there was a hint that the RB20 has more performance to unleash.

“It hurts because to let your team down that way,” he said after his Q1 error, “it hurts a lot because I think the weekend was strong up to now. We were just not able to show the pace.”

Will Russell and Hamilton work together?

It must be said that to begin with, at least, this is largely a question for Hamilton.

It’s quite safe to say that with the seven-time world champion seeking a first victory since December 2021, he will be giving everything to beat Russell off the line and take the lead.

In the event that the starting order remains after the first corner, it’s fair to assume that Hamilton may be under some pressure from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to take a sensible approach to racing his team-mate.

Lewis Hamilton says it was the best the 2024 car has ever felt after securing a brilliant Mercedes one-two on the grid for the British Grand Prix.

Given Hamilton is heading to Ferrari next season, he might not care too much about what Wolff wants, but in theory Mercedes will have a major advantage if they can keep their two cars at the front of the pack.

While confirming that he’ll be attempting to implement some sort of plan for his drivers to work together, Wolff appeared somewhat resigned to the reality that there may be moments where the Silver Arrows are fighting each other.

“I think we’re talking about it every Sunday,” he told Sky Sports F1. “And we’re not trying to be a broken record, but we have an opportunity tomorrow, be it only for a podium.

“But we’re starting first and second and as long as we can hold that for a while, that would be good and gives us a better position.”

Karun Chandhok analyses George Russell and Lewis Hamilton’s fastest laps during qualifying of the British GP.

For the Hamilton fans hoping to see the 39-year-old cap his historic time at Mercedes with at least one more victory, he did provide a subtle note of encouragement.

“I think I was cautious with my set-up, more thinking to have a nice balance in the race rather than all for one particular lap,” Hamilton said. “So I do think that the car will be good tomorrow.”

Extra tension on the second row

Verstappen and Norris have recently got quite used to battling for the lead off the start line, but this time their duel will resume from behind the Mercedes.

Their collision in Austria was very clearly the headline news coming into the weekend, but Norris somewhat diffused the situation by withdrawing his post-race demand for an apology from Verstappen.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen crash in the Austrian Grand Prix, with both drivers then missing out on P1.

The softening of the Brit’s stance led some to suggest that Verstappen, who finished fifth in Austria as Norris retired as a result of damage from the incident, has established a psychological advantage over his closest title challenger.

Norris once more seemed keen to play down the significance of his battle with Verstappen.

“I’m sure Max is going to be racing us tomorrow, but I’ve still got two other guys I’ve got to worry about, so I don’t care just about Red Bull,” he said.

“I think our strategy has been very good over the last two months, so I’m happy. The team are doing a good job and therefore I’m confident we can execute a good race. We need good pace. We need to be able to race well. I need to pass two guys if that’s going to be on the cards.”

Max Verstappen says he is happy to still be in the hunt despite damaging his car as he qualified P4 for the British Grand Prix. 

The idea of looking ahead rather than behind was not just presented by Norris, with McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also appearing quietly confident.

“We could have done a little bit better,” he said. “But we are there and certainly we will play our cards tomorrow.”

Who has the best weather person?

For all the talk of potential performance, there’s a high chance that speed and skill – at least from the drivers – will not turn out to be the most crucial factor on Sunday.

Changing weather conditions during the race mean that strategy could be decisive, with huge gains possible from switching to the right tyre at the right moment.

The drivers will get their instructions from their engineers, but the process stretches beyond each team’s pit wall and garage.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, who is part of Sky Sports F1’s coverage this weekend from his team’s pit wall, explained during qualifying that the Woking squad have spotters out on different parts of the track and even in the air keeping a close eye on conditions.

Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz looks back at all the big talking points from Qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

Given Mercedes apparent advantage in the wet and the fact it’s always easier to drive from the front in the rain due to the lack of spray coming from a car in front, Russell could benefit from more showers, but is also wary of their danger.

“We will need a good weather person! It literally takes one small mistake and it can all go wrong,” he said. “Everyone’s in the same boat.”

Like Russell, Norris is attempting to win his home race for the first time, and is confident of taking on his compatriots regardless of the conditions.

“It’s going to rain again tomorrow, so I’m excited,” he said. “It’s going to be a good race. We’re quick. I can bring the fight to George and I can bring the fight to Lewis, so excited to put on a good show tomorrow.”

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Here’s what you can look forward to during coverage of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

British GP: Lando Norris completes Friday practice double for fast McLaren with Max Verstappen trailing in Practice Two | F1 News

British GP: Lando Norris completes Friday practice double for fast McLaren with Max Verstappen trailing in Practice Two | F1 News



Lando Norris completed a strong opening day of practice for his home British Grand Prix by staying at the top of the timesheet in Practice Two, this time heading a McLaren one-two.

The Practice One pacesetter maintained his leading position in the second session and opened his advantage over a lap of Silverstone to an impressive 0.3s, with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri joining him at the head of the timesheet in second place.

Championship leader Max Verstappen, however, was only seventh quickest with the Dutchman unusually only the second-fastest Red Bull driver in the session.

Sergio Perez was third-fastest in the sister RB20, with Nico Hulkenberg a surprise fourth for Haas and Charles Leclerc fifth quickest for Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton was the lead Mercedes in sixth, with Austrian victor George Russell only 10th.

Here’s what you can look forward to during coverage of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

But after a session in which some teams ran slightly different run plans to normal amid the looming threat of rain, which eventually arrived with five minutes in the session to go, Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok suspected: “I think they are not showing their hand at Red Bull – and I expect Mercedes are the same.

“McLaren look good and Lando hit the ground running. Every run, the car looks nice and comfortable to drive

“Are they six tenths faster than Mercedes and Verstappen? If they are, that would be amazing for the home fans.”

F1 teams did still complete the majority of their planned P2 schedules – including the soft-tyre simulations and heavier-fuel race runs – before the late-session rain arrived. Showers are again forecast for Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race days.

Norris lays down early marker in front of home fans

With the late-race collision between Norris and Verstappen from last Sunday’s Austrian GP having been the dominant topic of conversation so far at Silverstone – an ongoing debate which McLaren’s Zak Brown waded into on Friday by aiming criticism at Red Bull – it was back to on-track business for the sport’s leading duo in the Drivers’ Championship at the event which marks the halfway point of the increasingly-competitive 2024 season.

Zak Brown hits back at Red Bull after the incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix.

And it was Norris who took day one honours in front of his home crowd at Silverstone.

Although the McLarens, unlike Red Bull and Mercedes, had run the soft tyres in opening practice when Norris topped the first session, the team stayed at the head of the field once everyone had run the weekend’s quickest compound in the second session too.

Norris’ best lap, which he set later than most of his rivals, was an impressive 0.331s quicker than Piastri and 0.434s ahead of third-placed Perez.

Norris says McLaren are ready for any weather but hopes its stays dry for his home race after topping both Friday practice sessions at Silverstone.

Verstappen finished up almost 0.7s back although, perhaps significantly, the Dutchman completed his soft-tyre lap 15 minutes earlier than Norris when the track was clearly not quite as grippy or fast.

The fact Hulkenberg subsequently ended up fourth would suggest there was plenty more time to find for F1’s world champion had he run on track when conditions were at their best. Verstappen did have a slide through the high-speed Becketts section on a push lap later on in his soft-tyre run.

Interestingly, Norris referenced Mercedes as appearing to have a car to compete with McLaren.

“I think we made some good progress,” said Norris, who goes into the weekend 81 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings.

“I think we’re pretty tight and even with Mercedes, they seem probably just as quick as us. They just didn’t turn up the engine and do as much in the final run. So I think we’re in a good place but we probably have a little bit more to find.”

British GP Practice Two Timesheet

Driver Team Time
1) Lando Norris McLaren 1:26.549
2) Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.331
3) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.434
4) Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.441
5) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.601
6) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.653
7) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.684
8) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.700
9) Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.725
10) George Russell Mercedes +0.745
11) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.823
12) Valtteri Bottas Sauber +0.832
13) Alex Albon Williams +1.096
14) Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.183
15) Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.194
16 Yuki Tsunoda RB +1.196
17) Logan Sargeant Williams +1.260
18) Zhou Guanyu Sauber +1.264
19) Daniel Ricciardo RB +1.367
20) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.573

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the British Grand Prix.

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Lando Norris says Max Verstappen doesn’t owe him an apology for ‘pathetic’ Austrian GP collision | F1 News

Lando Norris says Max Verstappen doesn’t owe him an apology for ‘pathetic’ Austrian GP collision | F1 News


Lando Norris withdrew some of his criticism of Max Verstappen regarding their Austrian Grand Prix collision as he insisted his rival does not owe him an apology over the incident.

Red Bull’s Verstappen and McLaren’s Norris collided as they battled for the lead in the closing stages of last weekend’s race, with the Briton left to retire, while Verstappen finished fifth after being forced to pit.

Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty by the stewards for causing the incident, and Norris said after the race he would lose “respect” for the three-time world champion if he did not accept responsibility.

However, speaking at Silverstone ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Norris appeared to backtrack from his initial criticism as he confirmed he had spoken to Verstappen, with whom he shares a friendship.

McLaren’s Norris and Red Bull’s Verstappen engaged in an exhilarating battle for the race lead before the pair crashed into one another, as George Russell ended up capitalising to win the Austrian Grand Prix

“Honestly, I don’t think he needed to apologise,” Norris said. “Some of the things I said in the pen after the race were more just because I was frustrated at the time, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of emotions and I probably said some things I didn’t necessarily believe in, especially later on in the week.

“It was tough. It was a pretty pathetic incident in terms of what ended both our races. It wasn’t like a hit, it wasn’t like an obvious bit of contact. It was probably one of the smallest bits of contact you could have, but with a pretty terrible consequence for both of us, especially for myself.

Norris was initially left fuming after his collision with Verstappen

“He doesn’t need to. I don’t expect an apology from him. I don’t think he should apologise. I thought it was, as reviewed, good racing, at times maybe very close to the edge, but like I said we’ve spoken about it and we’re both happy to go racing again.”

Norris: FIA need to be aware something could go wrong

Despite softening his stance, Norris urged the sport’s governing body to provide further clarity regarding drivers moving under braking, which is what he accused Verstappen of doing on multiple occasions over team radio before the collision.

“I think it was still very clear that it was happening, but it’s a tricky one,” Norris said. “Max isn’t going to want to crash, he isn’t going to want to ruin his own race and his own chances.

Lewis Hamilton refuses to comment on the Verstappen and Norris collision

“I think yes, there are definitely things I need to do slightly differently but in the end of it, I don’t think he’s going to change too much, I don’t think I need to change too much.

“Could we have avoided the crash? Definitely, because I easily could have used more kerb. But there’s things from both sides that I’m sure we wanted to do better or in a slightly different way.

“But on the whole, I think avoiding an incident from moving under braking is probably the biggest part of it. There could very easily be an incident that comes from such a thing and I think the only thing we have to be very careful of is something that could happen.

“So that’s just something for the future and something that the stewards and FIA need to be aware of, that something could easily go wrong. So I think to a certain point, you’re defending, you’re being aggressive and that’s okay, but there will be a point when there is a limit and I think that just needs to be defined in a slightly better way.”

The F1 paddock give their view on the controversial collision between Norris and Verstappen

The ultimate consequence of the incident was Verstappen, who is chasing a fourth successive drivers’ title, extending his lead over Norris at the top of the standings to 81 points.

With the season reaching its halfway point at Silverstone this weekend, Norris has a mountain to climb, but insists he is excited to resume his contest with Verstappen in front of his home fans.

“It’s clear how he races. It’s tough, it’s on the limit. It’s what we love, it’s what I love,” Norris said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the whole fight I had with him. Of course it was a shame things ended the way they did. But apart from that, things are clear from what you see on TV and I’m excited to go racing again this weekend.”

Verstappen ‘only cares’ about Norris friendship

Verstappen insisted that amid the furore that has followed the incident, his only concern was ensuring the maintenance of his friendship with Norris.

The Dutchman revealed that it was Norris who first contacted him on Monday, with Verstappen insinuating that his rival sought to clarify the comments he had made in the heat of the moment after the race.

Verstappen says he was ‘really upset’ by his collision with Norris and insists they have the same opinion on racing each other hard and will continue to do so

“That’s why I already said after the race, there’s no point to discuss it now. Emotions are running high and stuff like that,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

“I woke up already quite early because I wanted to talk to Lando but he already texted me, in the morning on Monday. I think the day after your emotions are a bit lower.

“I respected that a lot. And we are great friends. He’s a very nice guy, honestly. And of course I was also really upset and disappointed that we got together because naturally, of course on the track you race each other hard, but as a friend as well, you’re very disappointed that happened.”

Verstappen has been jeered and booed by fans at the British Grand Prix over the last two years following his fierce 2021 title battle with Silverstone fans’ favourite Lewis Hamilton, but claimed the crowd reaction this year wouldn’t bother him.

David Croft and Damon Hill discuss Max Verstappen’s driving style and whether an interested Mercedes will be a fan of it.

“I’ve had that already before,” he said. “I just focus on the performance. Everything is cleared, which for me was the most important, and we move on.

“The only thing that I care about in my life is that I’m getting on well with Lando.”

Similarly to Norris, Verstappen insisted that the duo would continue to race hard when their battle inevitably resumes at Silverstone, where Red Bull and McLaren are expected to be the two fastest cars on track once more.

“Also quite quickly, when we were talking, we had the same opinion of we have to race each other hard because that’s what we like to do and that’s what we’ve always done,” Verstappen said.

“Not only in F1, even when we used to race together online and stuff like that, that’s what we really enjoyed about each other – battling hard, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Image:
The British Grand Prix takes place this Sunday live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase

Thursday July 4
6pm: The F1 Show

Friday July 5
8.35am: F3 Practice
9.55am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)

Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

British GP: What next in Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen heading to Silverstone after F1 drivers’ Austrian crash | F1 News

British GP: What next in Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen heading to Silverstone after F1 drivers’ Austrian crash | F1 News


After a hugely controversial collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix, what does the future hold for the pair’s rivalry?

The British Grand Prix is always one of the most highly anticipated weekends on the Formula 1 calendar, but there is undoubtedly extra spice in the air as the sport returns to Silverstone.

For the first time since Verstappen’s 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton captivated the sporting world, F1 fans are sensing the birth of another rivalry that has the potential to join the great tussles of the past in the history books.

While Verstappen was the up-and-comer in 2021, the Dutchman is now in the position of trying to maintain his clear status as the F1 grid’s top dog, creating a very different dynamic to the one he experienced three years ago.

Unlike in the case of Verstappen and Hamilton, in this situation there is a genuine friendship between the protagonists, which only adds to intrigue around how the story will play out.

Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to give his verdict on whether Verstappen or Norris was at fault for the crash

Why more close duels can be expected in 2024 – including at Silverstone

Lap 64, Turn Three of the Austrian Grand Prix may have been the first time that Verstappen and Norris had come to blows in a direct duel for a win in Formula 1, but what certainly wasn’t a surprise was that they had entered the closing stages of the race nose-to-tail on track.

That’s because the trend of the past two months – the unique Monaco GP at the end of May aside – has seen Norris and McLaren provide a consistent, and increasingly competitive, challenge to F1’s world champions and 2024 points leaders. Significantly, their MCL38 appears to have an edge on the Red Bull RB20 on tyre wear later into race stints.

Although McLaren started the season slightly behind where they had hoped to be with their latest design after a stellar second half to last year had lifted external expectations about their 2024 prospects, early-season upgrades swiftly moved them back into the absolute front-running mix against Verstappen and Red Bull.

Norris and Verstappen engaged in an exhilarating battle before their crash

Norris won for the first time in F1, at the 110th attempt, in Miami from Verstappen at the start of May and then came within one second of pulling off a repeat triumph two weeks later at Imola when he chased down the leading Red Bull to the chequered flag.

After Monaco, when both fourth-placed Norris and sixth-placed Verstappen were left disappointed, Norris felt he should have beaten the Dutchman to victory in both Canada – when he did not pit immediately when the Safety Car came out in a marginal strategy call – and then Spain, when he squandered the advantage of a first pole position in three years and dropped behind the Dutchman and George Russell at the start.

Then came Austria. An early wheel-to-wheel duel with Verstappen in the Saturday Sprint, which Norris rebuked himself for “amateur” driving afterwards having overtaken his rival early on only to be repassed by the Red Bull immediately, was followed by a race that came alive for the McLaren driver after a slow second pit stop for the long-time leader.

Following Verstappen’s dramatic crash with Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix, we take a look at the five biggest collisions of his F1 career so far

Showing superior speed on slightly newer tyres, he chased Verstappen down and then made repeated bids for the lead over several laps before that controversial lap-64 tangle of rear wheels which triggered simultaneous punctures, for which the Red Bull driver was adjudged by stewards to have been at fault for.

It is against that backdrop that the top two in F1’s Drivers’ Championship head to Silverstone this weekend and a high-speed track featuring sweeping fast corners that should suit both the Red Bull RB20 and McLaren MCL38 – just as it did the team’s 2023 cars, when Verstappen and Norris qualified together on the grid’s front row.

What will the crash do to their friendship?

There’s a fascinating extra layer to F1’s latest developing duel and that’s the existence of a genuine friendship between the star drivers.

It’s long-standing and isn’t just confined to the paddock when they see each other at ‘work’ on grand prix weekends.

Verstappen and Norris have travelled to races together and keep in touch away from the track, such as recently playing padel against each other in their adopted homes of Monaco and, as last year, attending the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium together during F1’s summer break.

After the acrimonious on-track events of Austria, it’s the state of that friendship which will now be of particular interest when the pair each speak for the first time since the end of the last race weekend in their respective media appearances on Thursday at Silverstone.

Norris was left fuming after the collision

Norris features in the main press conference at 1.30pm, live on Sky Sports F1, while Verstappen will conduct his media engagements in the paddock a couple of hours later.

Although this is the sixth season that Verstappen, 26, and Norris, 24, have shared the F1 grid since the latter’s arrival at the top level, it’s only really in the past year since McLaren’s re-emergence as a front-running threat that focus has been placed on what a duel for supremacy at the front of F1 might do to the drivers’ relationship.

Famously, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s friendship from childhood crumbled under the weight of direct head-to-head title fights when team-mates at Mercedes.

Norris was asked about Verstappen and their friendship as recently as last Thursday in a sit-down interview with Sky Sports F1’s Rachel Brookes ahead of the Austrian GP.

“He doesn’t care if we had dinner last night or if we went out at the weekend, whatever it was,” said Norris.

“As soon as he puts that helmet on, it’s about him going out performing and showing that he’s number one. You forget about the rest, you don’t care about the rest, and it’s the same for me.”

But, as a gutted and frustrated Norris strongly implied in his immediate post-race interview after the collision that dropped him out of the Austrian race, there is perhaps a limit too.

British Grand Prix director Stuart Pringle says he has no doubt that there will be a sell-out crowd at Silverstone for the British GP and is adamant that people will be there to support Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris

“It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I’ll lose a lot of respect for that,” said the Briton.

“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and just being a bit reckless in a way, then I’ll have a small amount of respect for it.”

In public at least, Verstappen did not accept responsibility in his post-race interviews – defending his driving and insisting he had not been moving under braking – although noticeably didn’t take an especially hostile stance towards Norris either.

“I need to look back at how or why we touched,” said Verstappen. “Of course, we will talk about it. It’s just unfortunate it happened.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports News on Tuesday that the pair have spoken since the incident and he doesn’t think “there is any issue”.

But we’ll learn on Thursday whether their respective views on what happened have altered or, indeed, they each continue to stand their ground.

Red Bull-McLaren rivalry brewing

In addition to rising tensions between the drivers, there were the first signs in Austria that the contest could spill over to the leadership of their respective teams.

McLaren’s usually mild-mannered team principal Andrea Stella launched a significant verbal attack on Verstappen’s driving style in his post-race interview with Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Lando Norris was given enough space to avoid crashing into Max Verstappen, while McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes the Red Bull driver was at fault for the incident

Stella recalled Verstappen’s 2021 battles with Hamilton and suggested there was a direct correlation between the Dutch driver not being sufficiently punished for those past incidents, and the way he opted to drive against Norris in Austria.

Perhaps anticipating that we haven’t seen the last of the action between the pair, Stella was urging the sport’s governing body, the FIA, to provide greater clarity on their rules around wheel-to-wheel combat in order to prevent a repeat of Sunday’s wipe-out.

Horner unsurprisingly backed Verstappen and chose to view the collision as somewhat of an inevitable racing incident, while also adding on Tuesday that his driver’s style is “not going to change”.

Horner thought the collision between Verstappen and Lando was ‘six of one, half a dozen of the other’

The Red Bull boss also described Stella’s comments as “wrong and unfair”, with the exchange no doubt likely to continue at Silverstone.

It’s also worth considering that the more McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, a far more outspoken figure than Stella who has clashed with Horner in the recent past, was not in Austria, and will undoubtedly want to weigh into the debate at the first opportunity.

As was the case when Horner and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff provided an entertaining sideshow to the Verstappen-Hamilton battle, the politics and war of words off the track is going to be worth following closely this time around.

The wider implications of the collision

While the clash was bad news for both drivers and their respective teams, the outcome was rather less damaging for Verstappen given he still finished the race in fifth place and scored points.

The 10-second penalty given to the Dutchman by stewards for causing the accident was rendered academic by the fact that sixth-placed Nico Hulkenberg was more than double that margin behind him on the road.

With Norris retiring and therefore not scoring, those 10 points Verstappen scored for fifth meant he increased his championship lead over his closest rival to a season-high of 81 points.

Go onboard with Norris as the McLaren driver overtook Verstappen at the start of last year’s British Grand Prix to take the lead in his home race

That is more than the points equivalent of three race wins and, with the Silverstone weekend marking the half-way point of the 24-race campaign, undoubtedly marks a significant advantage in a car that clearly remains capable of winning lots of races in Verstappen’s hands even if, as he remarked at Barcelona, Red Bull’s dominance of last year is “completely gone”.

Still, a winning run for Norris in the upcoming three races in four weeks before the summer break (Britain, Hungary and Belgium) – when there are 75 points up for grabs in total alone – could show that the second half of the campaign is not yet a foregone conclusion in world championship terms.

It’s a long way back, and a big ask from here even if the McLaren clearly emerged as the grid’s quickest car, but it is not absolutely gone for Lando just yet.

But if not this year…

Why this could be a precursor to a full-on title fight in 2025

Even if Verstappen’s current points advantage is too great for Norris to realistically overturn this year, the battle at the front looks increasingly likely to remain intense on a race-by-race basis heading towards 2025 and the final year of Formula 1’s current regulation era.

That certainly hadn’t been the expectation in the sport, either going into this season off the back of 2023 – when Verstappen and Red Bull had redefined the meaning of domination in F1 – or in the wake of the opening rounds of this campaign when the Dutchman reeled off comfortable wins in four of the first five rounds.

On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Damon Hill discusses the clash in Austria that stole a chance of victory from both

It’s a very different picture now, though.

Although highly fortuitous, Russell’s win in Austria means that all four of F1’s leading teams – Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes – have now already won at least one race this year. Mercedes have made steady recent improvement, and are confident there is more to come, while Ferrari, Red Bull’s early-season challengers, believe they will overcome their recent step back in the order and make their presence felt at the front again soon.

Max vs Lando… vs several more? The prospects for the final 18 months of the current rules package are suddenly more promising than they had appeared not too long ago.

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Thursday July 4
1.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
6pm: The F1 Show

Friday July 5
8.35am: F3 Practice
9.55am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)

Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Max Verstappen: Red Bull boss Christian Horner backs ‘hard racer’ not to change after Lando Norris clash | F1 News

Max Verstappen: Red Bull boss Christian Horner backs ‘hard racer’ not to change after Lando Norris clash | F1 News



Christian Horner insists Max Verstappen will not be changing after again defending his driver following his clash with Lando Norris at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident on lap 64 with the pair fighting for the lead which resulted in them colliding and allowed Mercedes’ George Russell to sweep through for victory.

Speaking at Red Bull Racing headquarters in Milton Keynes ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, team principal Horner backed Verstappen’s approach and expects more close racing between him and McLaren rival Norris.

“I understand they’ve spoken already, I don’t think there is any issue,” Horner told Sky Sports News. “Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change.

“There’s an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they’re discovering that. Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.

“Max is a hard racer – he’s probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you’re going to race against Max, he’s going to give as good as he gets.”

Verstappen eventually finished fifth in Austria, although the clash brought an end to Norris’ race and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was among those to fiercely criticise the Dutchman amid the fall-out at the Red Bull Ring.

Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to give his verdict on whether Max Verstappen or Lando Norris was at fault for the crash which saw both of them surrender the chance of winning

However, Horner refuted Stella’s assertion that it was a direct result of Verstappen not being punished for incidents when he and Lewis Hamilton were fighting it out for the world title three years ago.

“He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he’s a tough racer, and he hasn’t really been racing anyone for two years because he’s been out front so much,” Horner said.

“The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they’ve been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3.

“He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis, who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.

“I think it’s wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I’m sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that’s just tough racing. He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that.”

Norris was left fuming after his collision with Verstappen saw him have to retire from the Austrian Grand Prix

As one of three British drivers on the grid, Norris will likely have sizeable support at Silverstone when Formula 1 rolls into the Northamptonshire circuit for the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Horner is not concerned about the possibility of Verstappen facing a hostile reception though.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a partisan crowd for the British drivers as it is for Max in Holland, but I think whenever we go to those tracks there is always respect for the other drivers,” Horner said.

“I hope Max gets a reasonable reception and I’m sure it’s going to be all orange again this weekend – perhaps not Max Verstappen fans, more McLaren fans.

“That’ll be water off a duck’s back to him, he’ll have his head down and he won’t change. He’s the racer he is and I’m sure he’ll race just as hard this weekend.”

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Max Verstappen will be treated fairly by fans at Silverstone, says British GP boss Stuart Pringle | F1 News

Max Verstappen will be treated fairly by fans at Silverstone, says British GP boss Stuart Pringle | F1 News



British Grand Prix managing director Stuart Pringle says he has “no worries” over the treatment world champion Max Verstappen will receive from the Silverstone crowd this weekend.

Verstappen has faced boos and jeers from some racegoers in the last two years following his intense 2021 title battle with British driver Lewis Hamilton.

The Red Bull driver’s dominance of the sport since then has limited his involvement in significant on-track battles since, but his most notable clash since 2021 occurred during Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix as he collided with Lando Norris.

Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for causing the collision with the British driver, who last year appealed to fans not to boo his Dutch rival.

Following Max Verstappen’s dramatic crash with Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix, we take a look at the five biggest collisions of his F1 career so far

Asked by Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater whether the Silverstone crowd remains one of the fairest on the F1 calendar, Pringle said: “I’m absolutely sure of that. Our fans are first and foremost fans of sport.

“Of course they have their favourite team, but they are spread across. There are a lot of Red Bull fans. Lando’s very popular, George [Russell] and Lewis are very popular.

“But actually what British F1 fans recognise is a great performance, and let’s be honest, when Max has won in the last two or three races pre Austria, the thing that’s made the difference has been his personal performance. That hasn’t been the quickest car, but when he’s had to do the business, he’s been spot on.

Verstappen received a frosty reception from the Silverstone crowd when the Red Bull driver was introduced in 2022

“And people have recognised that in this country and across the sport, so I have no worries about that.”

While the collision left Norris unable to continue, Verstappen was able to make it to the end of the race in fifth place after a pit stop and extended his world championship lead to 81 points.

Will Silverstone sell out after ticket price debate?

The pricing of tickets for this year’s British Grand Prix recently came under scrutiny amid surprise that the event had not yet sold out.

Pringle previously suggested that a lack of competitiveness amid Verstappen’s dominance of the sport was a factor in slower ticket sales, and believes recent inroads made by McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari has helped spark greater interest.

Watch new angles of Verstappen and Norris’ collision and aftermath which cost them both the lead at the Austrian Grand Prix

“I’m delighted to say that the performance by the Brits in the last few weeks has really made a huge difference,” he said. “There are still a few tickets left but it’s in the hundreds rather than thousands.

“It will be a sell-out by weekend, of that I’m completely certain. And that’s what competition and a bit of spice in the sport brings.

“We’ve got incredibly exciting racing in the last few races and people have really switched back onto it. It’s perfect timing.”

Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to give his verdict on whether Verstappen or Norris was at fault for the crash which saw both of them surrender the chance of winning

Hamilton was among those to have warned that Silverstone must be careful not to price out motorsport fans, but Pringle says the structure is necessary for the viability of the event.

Four-day grandstand tickets still available for the weekend start at £629 and general admission for race day at £309, although cheaper tickets were available earlier in the year.

“Lewis is absolutely right. We do have to keep an eye on this. That is why, as a promoter, we are piling in the value into the weekend ticket,” Pringle said.

McLaren driver Norris was left fuming after his collision with Red Bull’s Verstappen saw him have to retire from the Austrian GP

“I cannot control whether we’ll get a good race on track. What I can control is the quality of the music – Kings of Leon, Stormzy, Pete Tong, Rudimental all live, all included in ticket price.

“For many, many years, we’ve had buy early, get the best value. We made more lowest price tickets available for this year’s event than ever before.

“That’s absolutely the way we want to do it but we need people to commit early and come early, because we’ve got to plan this event, we’ve got to make the budget add up, and we’ve got to meet our commitments to Formula 1 and the championship.”

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Thursday July 4
1.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
6pm: The F1 Show

Friday July 5
8.35am: F3 Practice
9.55am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)

Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Austrian GP: Lando Norris says he could ‘lose respect’ for Max Verstappen after crash in battle for lead | F1 News

Austrian GP: Lando Norris says he could ‘lose respect’ for Max Verstappen after crash in battle for lead | F1 News



Lando Norris says he will “lose a lot of respect” for Max Verstappen if his championship rival doesn’t accept responsibility for causing a collision between them as they battled for the lead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Norris was attempting to pass Red Bull’s Verstappen with eight laps to go when the pair made contact at Turn 3, with the stewards later giving the Dutchman a 10-second penalty for causing the collision.

Both cars sustained damage, with Verstappen pitting before finishing fifth, while the more severe harm done to the McLaren forced Norris to retire from the race, as Mercedes’ George Russell claimed an unlikely victory.

The end result ultimately aided Verstappen’s quest for a fourth successive drivers’ title, with the 10 points he scored extending his lead over second-placed Norris to 81.

“I’m disappointed, nothing more than that, honestly,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “It was a good race. I looked forward to probably I’d say just a fair battle, a strong fair battle. But I wouldn’t say that’s what it was in the end.

McLaren driver Lando Norris was left fuming after his collision with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen saw him have to retire from the Austrian Grand Prix

“Tough one to take. It was a mistake-free race from my side, and I feel like I did a good job but I got taken out of the race, so nothing more than that.”

Asked whether the incident would impact his strong friendship with Verstappen, Norris added: “I don’t know. It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I’ll lose a lot of respect for that.

“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and just being a bit reckless in a way, then I’ll have a small amount of respect for it.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen engaged in an exhilarating battle for the race lead before the pair crashed into one another, as George Russell ended up capitalising to win the Austrian Grand Prix

“But it’s still a tough one to take when we’re fighting for the win and I’m trying to be fair from my side and he just wasn’t. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I don’t care about that now. I’m just gutted for the team.”

Verstappen had appeared to be easing towards victory for much of the afternoon but a slow final pit stop from Red Bull brought Norris back into the contest and set up a grandstand finish.

With Norris within DRS range of Verstappen, the pair battled for several laps with each complaining over team radio about the other’s driving.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Lando Norris was given enough space to avoid crashing into Max Verstappen, while McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes the Red Bull driver was at fault for the incident

Asked whether the stewards should have intervened before the collision, Norris said: “Yeah. I mean there’s a rule. You’re not allowed to react to the other driver and that’s what he did three times out of three. Two times I managed to avoid it and not lock up and run into him, and the third time he just ran into me.

“I was just trying to drive my race. He was clearly a lot slower at the end. He ruined his own race just as much as he ruined mine. There’s nothing more I can do. I did my best and it was good enough. Got ruined through not my own fault.”

Verstappen: I will talk about incident with Norris

Verstappen insisted that he was not guilty of moving under braking, despite that being the consensus among Sky Sports F1′s pundits.

“Of course from the outside it’s hard to see when I brake. I know in the past it was a bit of a complaint,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to give his verdict on whether Max Verstappen or Lando Norris was at fault for the crash which saw both of them surrender the chance of winning

“Now I always move my wheel before I brake then you brake in a straight line trajectory. It’s always easy to say on the outside that I’m moving under the braking, but I think the guy in the car knows best what he’s doing.

“Everyone can have their own opinion but I’m the one driving. I’m in control. Of course, from the outside it’s easy to judge and comment but whatever, it’s what happens.”

Asked about Norris’ comments over a potential loss of respect, Verstappen offered a calm response.

“I need to look back at how or why we touched,” he said. “Of course, we will talk about it. It’s just unfortunate it happened.

George Russell wins the Austrian Grand Prix after Lando Norris and Max Verstappen collided

“I felt like sometimes he dive-bombed so late on the brakes. One time he went straight. One time I had to go around the sausage otherwise we would have touched.

“I think it’s also the shape of the corner provides these kind of issues sometimes. I’ve had it also the other way around. It is what it is. It’s never nice to come together.”

More to follow…

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Austrian GP: Lando Norris ‘excited’ to challenge Max Verstappen after Red Bull driver takes pole | F1 News

Austrian GP: Lando Norris ‘excited’ to challenge Max Verstappen after Red Bull driver takes pole | F1 News



Lando Norris says he is “excited” to see if McLaren can mount a challenge against Max Verstappen in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix by maintaining their strong recent race pace.

As had been the case in Sprint Qualifying on Friday, Norris qualified second behind Red Bull’s Verstappen on Saturday, but the 0.4s margin between the top two was far greater than it had been 24 hours earlier.

Setup changes made by Red Bull, after Verstappen had held off a strong challenge from Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the 23-lap Sprint race, appeared to have a hugely positive impact as the Dutchman dominated.

Despite admitting Verstappen’s performance was somewhat ominous, Norris held on to the hope that McLaren can maintain their recent trend of being stronger on Sunday than Saturday.

Highlights of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix

“It’s another day,” Norris said. “Things can change and conditions are going to be very warm again.

“The races have been very good to us lately, one of our strengths relative to qualifying, so I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Norris displayed promising early pace in the Sprint as he overtook Verstappen for the lead, but lost concentration to allow the Red Bull straight back through along with Piastri.

Max Verstappen somehow held off a charging Lando Norris to maintain the lead during the early stages of the Sprint

Asked what his plan is for the start of Sunday’s race, Norris said: “Kind of the same, but not.

“Just tidying up a few things from before. I know what I did wrong, it was obviously very clear.

“From the pace advantage Max had today, that’s probably going to carry into something tomorrow as well.”

Verstappen hopes ‘improved balance’ translates to race

Having ended a streak of three races without a pole position, Verstappen was hopeful that the clear improvements Red Bull made after the Sprint will carry over into the race.

“That’s of course something that I hope is going to be good as well,” he said.

Max Verstappen looks ahead to his front-row battle with Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix, saying it’ll be a long race with many factors

“I will find out tomorrow. I felt like the car just improved a bit balance-wise, which hopefully will help the tyres tomorrow as well because it’s still going to be a hot and long race.

“So you really have to look after the tyres, and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

Having helped him dominate the sport for much of the last two years, Verstappen has been uncomfortable in the RB20 in recent weeks despite battling his way to some impressive results.

Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to analyse how Red Bull’s Max Verstappen comfortably beat McLaren’s Lando Norris to start on pole for Sunday’s race in Austria

Asked how the team have been able to optimise the car at the Red Bull Ring, he added: “Just a more stable balance, a bit more connected front to rear. And that worked out well.

“I think we made the right changes. And then you can see that it’s little things that sometimes can actually make quite a bit of a difference in lap time.

So I’m, of course, very happy with that because, like I said before, we haven’t had the easiest of runs, and I think pure pace has been a bit harder for us compared to the last two years. So this is definitely very positive for everyone.”

Russell confident of podium chance

While the front row is reverse from last week’s starting order in Barcelona, third place remains the same, with Mercedes’ George Russell having benefitted from Piastri being demoted due to a track limits violation.

Russell produced a stunning start in Spain to take the lead around the outside of the first corner, but admits that he is more likely to be focused on the cars behind him this time around.

George Russell admitted his battle isn’t with Lando Norris, but with keeping the Ferrari’s and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri behind

The second and third rows will both be Mercedes-Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc starting alongside Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, respectively.

Despite his lack of expectation in terms of troubling Verstappen and Norris, Russell is confident of holding off the Ferraris and a potentially charging Piastri from seventh for the final podium spot.

“Lando and Oscar seem a little bit quicker than us,” Russell said. “Obviously Max is down the road at the moment.

Highlights of the Sprint from the Austrian Grand Prix

“I’m confident Lewis and I can probably beat the Ferraris tomorrow and probably hold up Oscar’s progress, but it’s a long race, high degradation, anything could happen.

“I think it’s a bit more challenging here. These guys always get their elbows out. So maybe this time sit back and watch it all take place. Last week I lost a lot time battling with Lando and probably focused too much on the guys ahead of me and ultimately that cost me a position to Lewis. I think the race is behind tomorrow.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule

Sunday June 30
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1’s triple-header continues with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime