08/07/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | JULY 8, 2025

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Sweet dreams are made of this Norris revels in emotional first British Grand Prix win

Ű BY PHILIP DUNCAN

creating an amazing atmosphere. “I dreamed of that for many, many years and today I got to see that through my own eyes and live that moment.” Norris’ voice broke as he celebrated his win over the radio. “There were no tears,” insisted Norris with a smile. “I tried. But when I get emotional I don’t cry, I just smile and it is pure happiness. I wish I could cry because I think it looks better for the pictures!” Norris’ championship appeared in tatters after he crashed into the back of Piastri in Montreal last month but he has responded with back-to-back wins for the first time in his career to breathe new life into his title charge. He concluded: “I have had two good weekends, and of course I want to continue the momentum, but that requires consistency and I need to keep working hard.” – The Independent

A N emotional Lando Norris said he was in dreamland after winning the British Grand Prix for the first time. Norris followed in the footsteps of Sir Stirling Moss, James Hunt, Sir Jackie Stewart and Lewis Hamilton as he became the 13th British driver to triumph at his home race. The 25-year-old capitalised on Oscar Piastri’s 10-second penalty at a wet Silverstone to take his fourth win of the season to reduce his rival’s lead at the summit of the world standings from 15 points to eight. Norris’ celebrations were briefly halted after a photographer fell off a fence in the pit lane and landed on him. McLaren confirmed that Norris was fine but had suffered a small cut to his nose. “This victory is everything I dreamed of,” said Norris. “Being on top at your home race is very, SHORTS Hamilton plans talks with Ferrari LEWIS HAMILTON plans to tell Ferrari to alter his car design for next season after the seven-time world champion battled to fourth at the British Grand Prix. Hamilton looked in contention to claim a first podium in Ferrari colours but paid the price for running off track in slippery conditions after pitting for slick tyres with 10 laps remaining. Hamilton had complained of issues with his car throughout the race, saying “it’s so hard to drive” over the radio. “It’s the most difficult car I’ve driven here in these conditions,” Hamilton added. “Ultimately I learnt a lot from today. There’s a lot to take, it’s only my second time driving this car in the wet and I can’t even express to you how hard it is. It’s not a car that likes those conditions. “For me, I have to sit down with the people that design this car for next year because there’s elements from this car that cannot go on to the following year.” Trophies made of Lego THE top three finishers in Sunday’s British Formula One Grand Prix were rewarded for their efforts with trophies made of Lego toy bricks, a novelty appreciated by some more than others. The trophies are part of a multi-year partnership between Lego and Formula One that has already put drivers in a fleet of 10 brick-built cars for a pre-race parade at the Miami Grand Prix, a moment that went viral. “How does it feel after 15 years of F1 to get a podium (trophy) that’s made out of Lego that you can just pull apart?,” McLaren’s runner-up Oscar Piastri asked Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, on the podium for the first time after 239 starts. “It’s just made out of Lego that you can pull apart and probably buy next week,” explained the Australian teasingly. “I love Lego. It’s good. My daughter can play with it too. You’ve always got to see the bright side,”replied the German. “But, you know, a bit of silver or gold would have been nice too, but I won’t complain.” Max laments ‘difficult’ fifth placing MAX VERSTAPPEN bemoaned “a really difficult” race on Sunday after finishing fifth for Red Bull in the British Grand Prix having started from the 44th pole position of his career. The four-time world champion led in the early stages before being overhauled by the McLarens of championship leader Oscar Piastri and eventual race winner Lando Norris, dropped to 10th after a mid race spin and then battled back to take fifth on the closing lap. “That was really tough,” he said. “Yesterday (Saturday) was alright, but today was really difficult. “From the beginning we didn’t have the speed. At the restart, I spun. Then I got stuck in the midfield, and then I had no more speed, which is just not good.” “I did expect it to be a tricky race with this weather, but not that difficult and challenging,” he added.

way to win, but in terms of what it means to me, winning at home, it is very memorable. Apart from winning a championship, this is as good as it gets.” Norris was just eight when Hamilton won in the wet at Silverstone by more than a minute after a drive for the ages. Hamilton, 40, had to settle for fourth after he came up just short in his bid to land a first podium in Ferrari colours. Norris continued: “Silverstone is where it all started for me – watching Lewis, Jenson (Button), Fernando (Alonso) – and it was that wet race here in 2008 when I began watching Formula One. “Lewis won and I got that picture of him going round and all the fans are standing up,

very special. “From a British perspective, I join a long list of pretty incredible winners – most of them are Lewis (Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix a record nine times) – so to join him and continue the reign of the British at Silverstone is amazing. “Looking up at the fans and seeing them on their feet, your mind just goes pretty blank. The main thing is just don’t f*** it up. I was just trying to enjoy the moment. “But these are moments that none of you guys get to witness. This is only something that I, and very few Brits have achieved. “It is a selfish moment, in a way, but so special and incredible because it is such a rare thing to feel and witness. “For me, it is my best win, maybe not the best

Hulkenberg finally buries unwanted record

NICO HULKENBERG provided Formula One’s feel-good story of the day, and possibly the season, at the British Grand Prix and nobody was more surprised and delighted than the 37-year-old German. After 15 years, and at the 239th attempt, the Sauber driver finally shrugged off the unwanted record of the most race starts without ever standing on the podium – and replaced it with the most starts until a first podium. “I don’t think I can comprehend what we’ve just done,” he said over the team radio after taking third place. Hulkenberg did it in fairytale fashion, following a script that even the producers of the recently released Brad Pitt blockbuster F1 movie would probably have rejected as too implausible. He started last on the grid, in 19th place with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto lining up in the pitlane, for Swiss-based Sauber. Thanks to clever strategy and pitting at absolutely the right time, Hulkenberg took Sauber to their first podium in 13 years and also became the team’s all-time lowest starting top-three finisher. “It feels good. It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?,” said Hulkenberg, rather stating the

obvious, after tumultuous pitlane celebrations. “I always knew we have it in us, I had it in me somewhere… it’s pretty surreal, to be honest. “Not sure how it all happened, but obviously crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. “I think we just were really on it. The right calls, the right tyres, at the right moment. Made no mistakes and, yeah, quite incredible.” With nine-times British GP winner Lewis Hamilton in fourth place for Ferrari, it had seemed inevitable that Hulkenberg would be reeled in and his day would end yet again as a story of what might have been. Instead it became a tale of triumph against the odds for a future works Audi team on the up and now riding high in sixth place overall. “I think I was in denial until probably the last pit stop, you know, and then when I heard we gapped Lewis quite a bit with the one extra lap, I was like, ‘Okay, this is good, this is some breathing space’,” said Hulkenberg. “It was an intense race but like I said, we didn’t crack. No mistakes. And obviously really, really happy with that.” – Reuters BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Top 10) : 1. Lando Norris (McLaren) 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 3. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 6. Pierre Gasly (Renault) 7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 8. Alex Albon (Williams) 9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 10. George Russell (Mercedes) WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS DRIVERS (TOP 5): 1. Oscar Pias tri (AUS) 234pts, 2. Lando Norris (GBR) 226, 3. Max Verstappen (NED) 165, 4. George Russell (GBR) 147, 5. Charles Leclerc (MON). CONSTRUCTORS (TOP 5) : 1. McLaren 460pts, 2. Ferrari 222, 3. Mercedes 210, 4. Red Bull 172, 5. Williams 59. RESULTS & STANDINGS

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg celebrates with a trophy on the podium after finishing

third place in the British Grand Prix. – REUTERSPIC

Piastri fumes after costly penalty

OSCAR PIASTRI was feeling the pain after a British Grand Prix penalty cost him a win and handed it instead to McLaren teammate and closest Formula One rival Lando Norris. The Australian was leading and following the safety car when it signalled it was about to return to the pits on lap 21. The Australian then braked suddenly, before the restart, and caught out Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver, close behind, went ahead of the McLaren to avoid making contact before resuming position and then spinning on the restart, dropping to 11th. Stewards took a dim view of the incident – a harsh decision according to team boss Andrea Stella – and handed Piastri a 10-second penalty that, when taken, left him second in a McLaren one-two. “I’m not going to say much. I’ll get myself in trouble,” were Piastri’s first words to 2009 world champion Jenson Button in the post-race interviews. “Apparently you can’t brake behind the safety car anymore. I mean, I did it for five laps before that... but thanks to the crowd for a great event. Thanks for sticking through the weather.

“I still like Silverstone even if I don’t like it today.” Asked again in a press conference how long it would take him to move on, Piastri – so often unemotional – released the pressure on his tongue a little bit. “I don’t know,“ he replied. “It obviously hurts at the moment. It’s a different hurt though because I know I deserved a lot more than what I got today. I felt like I drove a really strong race. “Ultimately, when you don’t get the result you think you deserve, it hurts, especially when it’s not in your control. “I feel like I did a good job today. So, it just makes it more painful when you don’t win.” Piastri served the penalty with nine laps to go and, with McLaren having suggested they might appeal the penalty, enquired over the radio whether he and Norris might switch positions. With Norris heading for a first home win in front of a Sunday crowd of 168,000, he knew the request was unlikely to be granted. “I thought I would ask the question. I knew what the answer was going to be before I asked. But I just wanted a small glimmer of hope that maybe I could get it back. But no, I knew it wasn’t going to happen,” said Piastri. – Reuters