5 Things We Learned from the British Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula 1 race in three years after fending off Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the British Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion became the sixth different winner this season after half a dozen races, and in 2023 three drivers tasted victory all season.

We look at five things we learned from an exhilarating race at Silverstone.

We look at five things we learned from an exhilarating race at Silverstone.

5 – Sergio Perez is at risk of losing his seat. The Red Bull driver has been having a torrid time recently. His qualifying stint ended in Q1 after spinning out, and Sunday was even worse when he finished a low 17th and was down two laps down. The 34-year-old’s days at Red Bull look numbered after team boss Christian Horner fired a warning to the Mexican. “He knows it’s unsustainable not to score points,” Horner said at Silverstone.

4 – Haas’ impressive showing. During large parts of the race, Nico Hulkenberg was the top-placed Ferrari-powered car. The German did an outstanding job in qualifying to put his car in sixth place and bagged eight points for the team to propel them up the constructor’s standings. The German is in great form, and Haas will want him to continue in this vein. The team also announced that Oliver Bearman will join the team next year.

3 – Aston Martin has turned a corner. The team left Silverstone with 10 points after Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth, respectively. The British team has been in the doldrums recently, and this result was a major boost. “I felt more competitive this weekend, and it seemed we were in our natural position, which is more encouraging than the last few races,” two-time world champion Alonso said.

2 – Hamilton is still scarred from the 2021 season. The seven-time champion was uncharacteristically emotional after winning his home Grand Prix. The 39-year-old praised his team, family, and fans for helping him through a difficult period. He admitted to questioning a return to F1 after he lost the title at the final 2021 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi after a controversy with former race director Michael Masi. Sunday’s win was a reminder of Hamilton’s class in an F1 car in tricky conditions, and it certainly makes his move to Ferrari next year more exciting.

1 – McLaren’s poor calls lost their race. As much as Mercedes won the race, McLaren lost it. The decision to box Oscar Piastri a lap after Norris instead of double stacking like Mercedes did prove detrimental to the Australian race. “The call to double stack or to stay out is one of the hardest decisions you can make, and unfortunately, we just got it wrong,” the 23-year-old said. As the race neared the end, Norris opted to change to softs and lost second place to Verstappen, whose hard tyres gave him more grip. If Norris had opted for the hard compound, he would’ve had a better chance to attack Hamilton in the closing stages and grab his first home win.

Sean Parker

Sean Parker is a motorsport journalist and sports content creator at The South African. He has worked for the country's premier motoring publications, and is a Formula 1 contributor to Bet.co.za, the Bet Central podcast, and Vision View Sports radio.