'Gutted': Aussie stuns with career-best finish... but 'robbed' of first ...

9 Jul 2023

Fox Sports

Max Verstappen claimed his first British Grand Prix victory to deliver a record-equalling 11th consecutive win for his Red Bull team as Oscar Piastri came agonisingly close to a first career podium finish.

Oscar Piastri - Figure 1 — Photo Fox Sports

In a race of attrition, interrupted by safety cars and influenced by tyre-wear, the Dutchman came home almost four seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris who held off Mercedes’ seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling finale.

It was Verstappen’s 43rd career win and his eighth in 10 races this year as he increased his lead ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in the drivers’ championship to 99 points.

Norris’s McLaren team-mate Piastri finished fourth ahead of George Russell, Perez, two-time champion Fernand Alonso of Aston Martin and Williams’ Alex Albon.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came home ninth and 10th, a disappointing result for the Italian team after they had started from fourth and fifth on the grid.

For Norris, who led the opening laps after beating Verstappen at the start, it was his best result since finishing second at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix while for Hamilton, a record eight-time winner at his home race, it was a 14th British podium.

Piastri, meanwhile, described his fourth-place finish as a “bitter-sweet” moment after he missed out on a podium due to a safety Car deployment.

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TALKING PTS: Piastri denied first podium; Red Bull matches epic 35-year record

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The 22-year-old Melburnian had been running third before the delay when Kevin Magnussen’s Haas suffered an engine failure.

Hamilton took advantage to take a ‘cheap’ pit stop and third place behind the triumphant Verstappen and his McLaren teammate Norris.

“It’s a bittersweet result,” Piastri said of his best Formula One result in his debut season.

“That’s the best way to describe how I feel. The most pleasing aspect was that we achieved these results on merit.

“I think it’s one thing to get these results by lucky incidents, but we were genuinely the second quickest team today, which was a very happy surprise.

“On my side, we were unlucky with the safety car timing with Lewis getting a free stop. But it’s nice in some ways to be disappointed with a fourth place, considering where we were at the start of the year.”

That sentiment was shared by teammate Norris, who told reporters post-race that it was “a bit of a shame” that Piastri missed out on his first podium.

Oscar Piastri enjoyed a career-best finish of P4. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“He should be sitting here,” said Norris.

“If things went to plan and there wasn’t a safety car. So it’s a bit of a shame. He deserved his first podium in Formula One.

“I think it would have been amazing for us as Team McLaren and celebrating our 60th anniversary ... and he deserved it. He’s been on top form all weekend, he’s been pushing me an insane amount.

“All year he’s been good. It’s not like he’s just turned up here and been strong. He’s been good since day one in the car and makes my life tough sometimes. I don’t always like it but it’s a good thing and makes me a better driver too.

“He’ll have his chances. He’s driving very well and he’s doing a very good job.”

McLaren boss Zak Brown, meanwhile, also told Sky Sports F1 that he felt “bad” for Piastri given the circumstances.

“Today was a good day at the office as they say. Oscar and Lando drove great. The team was strong, pit stops were good, tyre strategy turned out to be the right one,” Brown said.

“Given how we started the year in Bahrain and Saudi when we were nowhere, to be on the podium, lead the race and be there on pure pace — having two cars there. I feel bad for Oscar, he deserved to be third.”

That bittersweet feeling Piastri referenced earlier was most clearly illustrated when his race engineer Tom Stallard checked in on him after the race result.

“Checkered flag, P4 baby, P4. Oscar honestly that’s an amazing result, but I’m also gutted as that was a podium-worthy drive,” Stallard said according to The Athletic.

“Absolutely a podium-worthy drive, and you were robbed by the unfortunate timing of that safety car. Well done mate, really well done.”

Piastri later went on to praise the team for their recent hard work and improvement.

“A massive credit to the team,” he said.

“Clearly the upgrades we’ve brought to the car are working an absolute treat. Exciting times for the future and it’s nice to be back towards the front.

“I think we should still have weaknesses at some tracks, but we still have strengths. And I think Silverstone is probably good for our car, I would say.”

The team also enjoyed a strong performance in Austria, another circuit which, like Silverstone, puts an onus on good aerodynamic efficiency.

“It’s nice to have that performance two races in a row and we’ll be pushing to keep that going forwards,” added the Australian.

“It’s a very, very happy moment. Putting trophies aside, to have so many points for the team is a fantastic result.

“We’ve got a long way to go to challenge the next few teams, but anything is possible if we can keep having weekends like this.”

It was still a great weekend as a whole for Piastri. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Moving onto the victorious Verstappen and Red Bull, they drew level with McLaren who reeled off 11 wins in 1988.

The race began in warm and dry conditions, following light rain, as Norris, from second on the grid, took advantage of a sluggish start by Verstappen who held off Piastri to retain second.

The pre-event pomp and ceremony had been given a unique Hollywood twist with film star Brad Pitt joining the drivers for Damian Lewis’s rendition of the British anthem, standing close to Verstappen, who may have been distracted.

The Dutchman recovered his poise and when Drag Reduction System (DRS) was initiated, he swept past the Briton on lap five to lead while Hamilton, after a difficult start, climbed from ninth to seventh.

By lap 15, Verstappen’s lead was 3.1 seconds as light drizzle began. Further back, Perez was carving through the field from 15th, following his fifth consecutive qualifying flop.

Leclerc was the first leading contender to pit after 19 laps, switching from mediums to hards and re-joining 12th. Spotting this, on a trackside big screen, Verstappen quizzed his team for reaction only to be told it was of “no concern”.

It was a clear signal of spare performance capacity.

He responded with a series of fastest laps to stretch his lead to 6.5sec by half-distance on lap 26 when Sainz pitted for hards.

Ferrari’s strategy handed fourth and fifth to the Mercedes duo, behind the two McLarens, with Alonso sixth, six seconds adrift before Russell, Perez and Piastri came in, shaking up the top order.

Race winner Max Verstappen, second placed Lando Norris and third placed Lewis Hamilton. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Leclerc and Russell were soon engaged in an exciting scrap for seventh before Kevin Magnussen pulled up his Haas with an engine failure on Wellington Straight.

A virtual safety car was deployed, followed by a full one offering ‘cheap’ pit stops for Albon and Leclerc followed by Verstappen, Norris, Hamilton and Alonso.

In the confusion, it worked perfectly for Hamilton who came out third behind the top duo and ahead of Piastri, Russell and Alonso.

Intriguingly, Verstappen and Hamilton were on used softs while Norris and Piastri took hards, as did Ferrari, for the final 14 laps’ sprint.

Norris was unimpressed with his team’s cautious decision and reacted slowly when Verstappen darted clear. Hamilton attacked but his compatriot defended brilliantly before DRS was re-introduced.

With 10 laps to go, Verstappen led by 3.2 seconds while Perez climbed to seventh and, astonishingly Albon sliced past Sainz for sixth.

On the day Williams celebrated their 800th Grand Prix, it was a timely thrill and, with McLaren shining, a throwback to another era.

British Grand Prix Final Standings

1st: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2nd: Lando Norris (McLaren)

3rd: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

4th: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

5th: George Russell (Mercedes)

6th: Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

7th: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

8th: Alexander Albon (Williams)

9th: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)