Credit: Motorsport
Norris Wins, Hülkenberg Takes First Career Podium in Rainy British Grand Prix
Published: Tuesday, July 8, 2025
by Thomas Mazurowski
SILVERSTONE, England – Lando Norris notched his fourth win of the season in Sunday’s British Grand Prix, finishing ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and veteran driver Nico Hülkenberg.
Torrential rain left McLaren unchallenged at the front as each opposing team experienced
trouble on the track. Redbull’s Max Verstappen struggled in the wet and finished fifth
despite a promising start from pole position. Ferrari and Mercedes were both involved
in several incidents and had difficulty finding pace all day.
The treacherous conditions put several underdogs within reach of the podium, including
Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg. The seasoned veteran overtook Lance Stroll on lap 34 and
held onto the third place spot until the finish. Hülkenberg had yet to finish on the
podium in his 238 starts.
Morning storms forced most teams to start the race on intermediate tires. A handful
of drivers came into the pits at the end of the formation lap hoping the track was
dry enough for slick tires.
Verstappen got the jump off the line, pulling ahead of the McLarens into turn one.
Afterwards, the race stayed surprisingly clean until Liam Lawson was clipped by Esteban
Ocon entering the Wellington straight. Lawson’s car was unable to continue, prompting
a virtual safety car.
When the race resumed, Gabriel Borteleto found the wall almost immediately after the
restart, causing another virtual safety car. The Brazilian rookie was one of six drivers
on dry tires at the time.
Green flags flew again on lap 7. Piastri closed in on Verstappen as the pair opened
a four second lead to the rest of the field. DRS was enabled on lap 8, allowing Piastri
to take the top spot from the Dutchman. Heavy rain swept over Silverstone while Piastri
pulled away in the following laps. A full safety car was deployed by lap 14 while
the rain continued.
As the grand prix was about to resume, that was when things got messy. On lap 21,
Piastri controversially slammed on his brakes while the safety car prepared to come
in. Verstappen veered to avoid the McLaren, accidentally passing by and being forced
to slow down.
As the pack rounded the final corners, Verstappen spun out from second place, allowing
the McLaren’s to drive off uncontested. A 10-second penalty was given to Piastri for
the incident. The Aston Martin of Stroll picked up third place, while Verstappen plummeted
to tenth.
There was minimal action up front in the following laps while the rest of the pack
struggled in the rainy conditions. Yuki Tsunoda collided with Oliver Bearman on lap
22 gaining a time penalty of his own. Additionally, Lewis Hamilton went off track
on lap 24, losing a place to George Russell’s Mercedes.
Russell was one of the first drivers to switch back to dry tires as track conditions
improved, opting for a fresh set of hard tires on lap 40. Despite a brief spin from
the Mercedes driver less than a lap later, the other teams followed suit. Every car
pitted for dry tires by lap 44.
Norris inherited the lead while Piastri served his penalty in the pits. Piastri lost
control for a moment in Maggots and Becketts, cutting turn 12 to recover the car.
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc capped off a miserable race with a brief venture off track
near Maggots as well.
The closing laps were calm, allowing Norris to coast to his eighth career victory
and his first win at home. He now trails his teammate by just eight points in the
Drivers’ Championship, sitting at 226 to Piastri’s 234.
Despite Norris’s triumph, all eyes were on Nico Hülkenberg. Since his debut in 2010,
Hülkenberg has spent much of his Formula 1 career driving for midfield teams, never
quite having the equipment to hunt for trophies. The third place finish marks a career
milestone for the German.
The podium also provided a much needed boost to the Kick Sauber team, who now find
themselves in sixth place in the Constructors Championship at 41 points. Elsewhere,
McLaren remains unchallenged, sitting at 460 points and nine grand prix wins. Despite
their struggles, Ferrari still clings to second, with 222 points to Mercedes’ 210.
Formula 1 will return at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix
on Sunday, July 27th at 9 a.m.
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