Best moments from the 2023 British Grand Prix
17 June 2024The 2023 British Grand Prix may have had a similar outcome as many of the 22 F1 races that season, but there was still plenty to cheer about for the record-breaking British crowds.
Qualifying
A chaotic Q1
Eight-time British Grand Prix winner Sir Lewis Hamilton left fans at Stowe in awe after saving a high-speed spin, scooping up what could’ve been a session-ending moment. Remarkably, he made it back to the pits, regained his composure, and eventually progressed into Q2.
In a bewildering mid-session lull, championship leader Max Verstappen nudged the pit wall with his front wing which then required repairs in the garage.
What followed was a dramatic end to the session, in which the track was drying with every passing second. No one was safe. Chunks of lap time could be found at every corner, and drivers in the mid-pack were leaping up to the top of the order. With the final runs completed, Sergio Perez was the shock exit in 16th.
Down to the wire
After a disappointing first run for Lando Norris in Q3, his McLaren mechanics bolted on a fresh set of Soft Pirelli tyres and sent him on his way.
With more grip at his disposal, he proceeded to take provisional pole on his last run, before Verstappen cruelly denied him a home-race pole. Nevertheless, Lando would line up on the front row of the 2023 British Grand Prix the following day.
READ MORE: Changeable conditions make for super Saturday at Silverstone
The 2023 British Grand Prix
A roar erupts around Silverstone
The race day atmosphere was palpable at Silverstone, and the crowd’s enthusiasm boiled over as Lando snatched the lead from Verstappen into the first corner. A roar of elation resounded around the 5.8km circuit as the British crowd were sent into raptures.
The ecstasy was short-lived, however, as the McLaren driver had to concede the position to a charging Verstappen at Brooklands. Nevertheless, a home race podium was still very much within reach for Lando.
A stroke of luck for Hamilton
Starting seventh and having dropped a place to eighth on Lap 1, Lewis had to dig deep if he were to stand a chance of fighting at the front. He began his charge by masterfully taking seventh from old rival Fernando Alonso on the inside of Brooklands on Lap 7.
With team-mate George Russell, the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as well as Oscar Piastri all pitting ahead, Hamilton had been elevated to third on the road.
The timing of a Safety Car deployment to recover the stricken Haas of Kevin Magnussen was opportune for Lewis, who could now pit without losing position. He emerged in a net third place.
Russell wows at Luffield
Just before the Safety Car deployment, George delivered the move of the race at Luffield. On Lap 31, he swooped around the outside of Leclerc in a stunning move that earned him eighth on the road.
Battle of the Brits
On Lap 39 the Safety Car returned to the pits and on the restart, Lewis utilised his grippier Soft tyres to put Lando under immense pressure, but the McLaren driver valiantly defended from the seven-time champion.
With each lap that passed, Norris’ hard tyres gained heat and grip. He managed to hold the position until the flag to take second and his first podium at Silverstone, ahead of Lewis in third for a double British podium. Russell crossed the line in fifth to make it three Brits in the top five.
READ MORE: Silverstone delivers double home podium to record crowds
Honourable mention: the crowds
A word must be said for the British motorsport fans who, as always, were some of the most passionate in the world in 2023, not to mention smashing the British Grand Prix attendance record over the course of the weekend.
