In the end, the British Grand Prix was turned into an effective Sprint Formula 1 race with 13 laps remaining when the Safety Car peeled in. Predictably, Max Verstappen bolted, as Lando Norris pulled out some world class defensive driving on the Hard tyre to defend from the Soft shod Lewis Hamilton. Still, the Silverstone faithful went home happy with two Brits on their home podium for the first time since 1999, another in fifth and the London-born Thai in eighth. For some it was an encouraging weekend while for others, it was nothing short of a disaster, so let's begin our rundown of Winners and Losers for the 2023 F1 British Grand Prix.
Winner - McLaren/Lando Norris
If you'd offered McLaren a second and fourth ahead of the weekend and told them Norris would finish 3.9s behind race-winner Verstappen, your arm would be snapped in quite a few places. Expectations were being tempered throughout the weekend after the success in Austria as that is historically a strong track for both team and driver with Silverstone delivering the latest stage of upgrades on both cars. Norris very nearly stuck it in pole on Saturday and was extremely racy off the line, leading for four laps before Verstappen reassumed control. But Norris defended expertly from Hamilton late on despite being at the disadvantage thanks to the difference in tyre compounds. Boss Andrea Stella put the decision to go for Hards down as an "operational" decision. At the end of the day, the facts speak for themselves, on this track, on this weekend McLaren and Norris were the best combination in the non-Verstappen class. The vital thing now is to continue the forward momentum at a track in the Hungaroring which will exploit the MCL60s weaknesses. What did Norris say? "They just wanted to give me a bit more of a test I think. That's what Zak said anyway, so probably he pulled the shots on that one. I wanted the Softs. I feel like it made a bit more sense. But I don't care - I was P2."
Loser - Oscar Piastri
And on the flip side, we have Oscar Piastri. Piastri did absolutely nothing wrong but was caught out by pitting just before the Safety Car was deployed. Had it not, he would have banked a maiden F1 podium - and it was fully deserved. After a tricky weekend in Austria, this was Piastri on his best form but as he discovered, sometimes you need the luck to go with it, and in the British GP, his helping of it was not delivered. What did Piastri say? "It was slightly frustrating with the Safety Car, I thought we were on for a podium for a very, very long time in that race, so it hurts a little bit."
Winner - Logan Sargeant
Williams boss James Vowles spoke this week of the breakthrough he felt Logan Sargeant had made in Austria and encouraged the rookie to kick on at Silverstone. Much has been made of Alex Albon's performances in recent times, and his eighth place will hog the headlines for the team, but Sargeant's drive deserves some credit. He did not break his points duck, coming home 11th, just over four seconds behind Carlos Sainz for the final point. But Sargeant showed some flashes of pace this weekend, and was able to piece everything together into a solid weekend. The next race in Hungary should be trickier owing to the fact that straight line speed is not very important there and the Williams lacks it - but a continuation of his form here would be very welcome. What did Sargeant say? "The progression has been good, and I feel like I’m getting more comfortable. I’m starting to drive the car the way it actually needs to be driven. It’s all coming to me."
Loser - Alpine
To say boss Otmar Szafnauer was unimpressed after the race would be an understatement. He wasn't quite hopping mad but his frustration at a double DNF at Alpine's home race as McLaren scored 30 points was rather visible. Esteban Ocon retired early on with a hydraulic leak caused by a faulty part and then Pierre Gasly's suspension was broken after Lance Stroll clipped him after the two were battling through Stowe. Szafnauer felt a five-second penalty for taking Gasly out of the race was not harsh enough - but respected the stewards' ruling. Alpine are wobbling at the moment - the car has pace in it but factors outside of their control - such as the faulty part coming from an external supplier - are hobbling the team. More upgrades are planned and the team must hope that they strike it rich with a McLaren-esque boost.
Winner - Max Verstappen
Next. Since the 2022 French Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has won 17 of 21 races, finished second twice, and got a sixth and seventh. It's now six wins on the trot for the triple World Champion in waiting and as unbelievable as it sounds, it really is a distinct possibility he wins the remaining 12 races. That would take him to 20 for the season. He's coming under no pressure from his teammate and the rest can't decide who will take the fight to Red Bull. The fact that McLaren were the closest challengers was music to the ears of Red Bull as another contender entered the fray. As someone once said, you have to remember these days. What did Verstappen say? "11 wins in a row for the team, that's pretty incredible, but it wasn't straightforward."
Loser - Ferrari
This place was a toss up between Mercedes and Ferrari but as one rescued a three-five and the other a nine-10 finish, the coin landed one way. To finish nine-10 from four-five on the grid is far from ideal and represents a step backwards for Ferrari after all that excellent work they had did in recent races to claw their way back into contention. The Safety Car was far from ideal for both drivers and a late battle between them looked somewhere towards the limit. The SF-23 has been stronger in slower speed corners from its birth so Hungary is a good chance to bounce back and just put Silverstone down as 'one of them days.' What did Leclerc say? "We knew that this track was going to be one of our worst tracks just because of the high speed corners. This is one of the weakness of the car."
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