British GP: Max Verstappen beats Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton to victory to extend Red Bull winning streak
Max Verstappen claims sixth successive F1 victory for the first time in his career; Red Bull equal McLaren's record of 11 successive wins; Lando Norris takes second for McLaren; Lewis Hamilton seals third for Mercedes after benefitting from Safety Car
World championship leader Max Verstappen extended his and Red Bull’s remarkable winning streaks with a dominant display at the British Grand Prix.
Verstappen converted pole position to victory at Silverstone to claim a sixth successive win of his own and a record-equalling 11th consecutive triumph for Red Bull.
Lando Norris, who led in the opening stages after passing Verstappen at the start, backed up McLaren’s stunning qualifying performance to seal second at his home race.
Hamilton, who dropped from seventh on the grid to ninth after going off on the opening lap, was the main beneficiary of a Safety Car caused by a fire on Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, which enabled the Mercedes driver to gain four places on others who had already pitted.
The interruption set up a 14-lap race to the finish, at the start of which Norris produced a brilliant display of defence to hold off Hamilton, while Verstappen eased into the distance
The victory moves the Dutchman 99 points clear at the top of the drivers’ standings as he moves closer to what appears to be an inevitable third successive title, while Red Bull are 208 points ahead of Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.
Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was unfortunate to miss out on a maiden Formula 1 podium having driven faultlessly after starting third, but the Australian rookie still sealed a career-best fourth-placed finish.
