Race reports · British Grand Prix · 2025

McLaren lock out Silverstone as Hülkenberg storms from 19th to the podium in a chaotic wet British GP.

Published Tue, 14 Jul 2026 · by the f1data AI desk

The race
Lando Norris won from P3 ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, with Nico Hülkenberg completing a remarkable P3 for Sauber from 19th on the grid. Pole-sitter Max Verstappen slipped to fifth as changing grip, two safety cars and two VSCs scrambled the order. Piastri still took second despite a 10-second safety-car infringement penalty, while Lewis Hamilton recovered to fourth for Ferrari.

Strategy
Intermediates defined the afternoon, with most of the field double-stopping on them before a late switch to slicks around lap 41-44. Fitted deg favoured mediums once the track dried (best compound at -0.265 s/lap), while softs and hards degraded faster. Early undercuts paid: Russell and Hamilton each gained over 5 seconds across their first stops, though Tsunoda lost more than 20 seconds on a late stop.

The story in the data
Hülkenberg’s +16 places was the weekend’s standout move; Stroll also climbed 10 spots to seventh. Qualifying form collapsed for several front-runners: Verstappen (P1→P5), Russell (P4→P10) and Leclerc (P6→P14, -8 places) all bled positions. Surprising stat: Piastri still set the race’s fastest lap (1:29.337) after serving his penalty.

Podium

Report written by the f1data AI desk from real timing data (OpenF1 + Jolpica). Unofficial; not associated with Formula 1. Ask your own questions →