News / 7 July 2025 / Staff Writer

2025 British Grand Prix – Norris reigns in the rain and Hulkenberg shines

Lando Norris became a first-time winner at his home British Grand Prix over the weekend, beating his teammate Oscar Piastri to the top of the podium.

The final spot on the podium went to an unlikely candidate, with Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg driving excellently to secure his first ever podium finish – in his 239th race.

Other impactful moments included a controversial Piastri 10-second penalty, and a Max Verstappen spin during a safety car restart.

We have detailed all the race highlights, below.

Norris wins over an aggrieved Piastri

The wet conditions caused multiple virtual safety cars and full safety cars during the race, and it was in one of these periods that the balance swung in Norris’ favour.

With the safety car peeling into the pitlane ahead of a restart, the leading car – Piastri – hit his brakes hard to slow down the pack and, presumably, give the safety car enough time to reach the pitlane before he restarted the race.

However, this sudden braking caught Verstappen off guard, who took evasive action and managed to swerve to the right of Piastri to avoid a collision.

In the process, however, Verstappen overtook Piastri – which is against the rules before the safety car period is officially over.

The race stewards judged that Piastri was at fault for the incident and deemed his braking to be a form of ‘erratic’ driving. He was therefore awarded a steep 10-second penalty.

Perhaps contributing indirectly to the decision is the fact that seconds after the incident, when the restart actually happened, Verstappen spun out and lost several places.

By the time Piastri pitted and served his 10-second penalty, Norris comfortably had the net lead – and held onto it despite a strong effort on the part of Piastri to make the race competitive.

In the aftermath of the race, Piastri was notably upset about the penalty when interviewed, and even Verstappen called the decision “extreme” after the race.

Hulkenberg heroics

While Norris’ maiden home victory was an emotional moment in its own right, it was perhaps not even the most notable of the race.

Veteran midfield driver Nico Hulkenberg – who had made 238 starts and about been in F1 for about 15 years without ever earning a podium finish – finally found himself finishing in the top three.

In a chaotic, rainy race, Hulkenberg put on an absolute clinic, holding off the iconic Lewis Hamilton to cling onto a history-making result.

Even more impressive is the fact that Hulkenberg achieved this result after starting in 19th place on the grid.

Unsurprisingly, he won driver of the day, with about half of all the votes going his way.

Winners and losers

Elsewhere on the grid, it was an unpredictable day, with several racers finishing well outside of their usual range.

To Verstappen’s credit, he recovered from his earlier spin – which dropped him to 10th position – and finished in fifth, just behind long-time rival Lewis Hamilton.

Following the two former world champions was an eclectic mix of midfield drivers, including Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Alex Albon in positions six to eight.

Rounding out the top ten were Fernando Alonso and George Russell – with the latter finishing a disappointing 70 seconds off the lead.

Other disappointing drives came from Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda, who were the last two men to finish – in 14th and 15th respectively.

Tsunoda, in particular, was a full lap off the pace – continuing the second-driver woes Red Bull have faced for many years.

The full results of the 2025 British Grand Prix are detailed below.