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Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton slammed into the wheel in a post-safety car battle for second place; a McLaren driver beats the seven-time world champion to finish second at the British Grand Prix; Hamilton talks about how much he admires Norris’ racing craft
Last updated: 10/23/12:42 PM
Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton tackled the Silverstone crowd to an epic battle, after the safety car
Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton tackled the Silverstone crowd to an epic battle, after the safety car
Lando Norris says the main setup decision proved decisive in fending off Lewis Hamilton to finish second at the British Grand Prix.
The two British drivers got behind the wheel in an exciting battle after the safety car was restarted midway through the race.
Norris found himself at a disadvantage as Hamilton pitted for the faster soft tyres when the safety car came out and McLaren put the more durable but slower hard tyres on Norris’ car.
But the 23-year-old produced a brilliant defense over two laps to keep Mercedes in the back as the pair ensured Britons were on the podium at the British Grand Prix for the first time since 1999.
“It was so much fun, Lewis was pushing for it,” Norris told Sky Sports Formula 1.
“We were side by side in a lot of it, and we were really close behind.
“I opted for a little lower downforce [set-up] compared to what [team-mate] Oscar [Piastri] Just because I thought a racing condition coming a little faster on the straight might save me.
McLaren’s Norris was in positive spirits after finishing second in his home race at Silverstone
McLaren’s Norris was in positive spirits after finishing second in his home race at Silverstone
“And when you see that little speed I had on Lewis down the back straight, you saved me.
“I was able to keep P2 because of that. It’s little things that you probably don’t know sometimes that make you so happy you made these decisions.
“We were very fast at the high speed [corners]. The car was going on the rails at high speed and we were very fast.
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“I managed to pull Lewis off at the high speed every time and then the slower corners would come and he’d come back to me.
“If we can just work on the slow speed, we’ve got a car that can easily compete for top ten, top five a lot.”
Explaining the wheel-by-wheel battle of his side, Hamilton said: “I threw it on the inside into turn seven [Luffield] Hopefully this is the moment I will make it happen.
I pressed the override button, [so did Norris] So we both went down the road with the overtaking but he had less drag – he said he had a smaller wing and they started to drag. So I had to back off.”
British Grand Prix spotlight at Silverstone as Max Verstappen sought to secure his sixth consecutive race win
British Grand Prix spotlight at Silverstone as Max Verstappen sought to secure his sixth consecutive race win
Hamilton was impressed by Norris’ racing craft
Hamilton and Norris’ duel down the old pit straight towards Copsey corner brought back memories of his 2021 battle with Max Verstappen that ended in contact and the Red Bull driver crashing into the barriers.
On Sunday, Hamilton and Norris left each other enough room to race and the seven-time world champion still admired his compatriot’s racing skill.
“He’s very talented, of course, as you can see, and I think it’s great when you can have such close battles and rely on the driver you’re racing with to be tough but fair,” said Hamilton.
Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on the British Grand Prix
Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on the British Grand Prix
“And so there was no element or moment where we thought we were going to get together or anything like that.
“And that’s what motor racing is all about [much as] He wanted to hold on to the number two I wanted to get. But it wasn’t supposed to be today.
“So we just lower our heads and keep pushing and hopefully we’ll have more fights and move forward.”
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