Lando Norris: “It’s amazing to be on the podium at my home race”

Lando Norris got his best result of 2023 at the Silverstone Circuit, claiming his first podium of the season at his home Grand Prix, much to the delight of the British fans.

As the lights went out for the race start, Norris overtook Max Verstappen and secured the leading position, thanks to an incredible qualifying result that saw him secure his first front-row start of the season on Saturday. The McLaren F1 Team driver battled valiantly, however, after a few laps, he slipped back to second place.

When the Safety Car was deployed, most drivers opted for the soft compound tires, while Norris had chosen the hard compound, along with his teammate. This decision set the stage for an exhilarating duel between Norris and Hamilton for the second spot. Ultimately, the young British driver emerged victorious, resulting in a remarkable outcome.

“First of all, I just want to say a big thanks to the whole team: they’ve done an amazing job and none of this would be possible without the hard work that they’ve been putting in. It was an amazing fight with Lewis, to hold him off, and I brought the fight to Max for as long as possible. It’s a long, lonely race when you’re just in the middle but it’s amazing to be on the podium at my home race.”

Norris thanked the British fans for all their support over the weekend, and also credited his teammate, who he believes should have joined him on the podium.

“The whole in-lap I was just trying to wave to everyone. A big thanks to all the British fans out here supporting all of me and the whole team. We should have have P2 and P3. Oscar did an amazing job all weekend, and he should have been P3 today without the Safety Car, so a shame, he deserved it. Great result at Silverstone, we’ll keep pushing forward from here as a team.” 

Oscar Piastri: “P4, what a result!”

Despite the unfortunate timing of a Safety Car, which caused him to lose his podium position and drop to fourth in the final stages of the British Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri had many reasons to be happy with his performance over the whole weekend.

Throughout Sunday’s race at Silverstone, Piastri and his teammate Norris held second and third places respectively for a significant portion of the event, mirroring their qualifying positions. However, while the Australian driver made a pit stop during normal racing conditions, Norris and several other front-runners benefited from the Safety Car period and made their stops.

As a result, it was Norris who secured a podium finish, trailing Verstappen, while Piastri settled for fourth place behind home favourite Lewis Hamilton. Nevertheless, this outcome marked the highlight of Piastri’s Formula 1 career thus far, providing him with ample reasons to be satisfied and wear a smile on his face.

“P4, what a result! Of course it was slightly frustrating with the Safety Car, I thought we were on for a podium for a very, very long time in that race, so it hurts a little bit – but I’m very, very happy that the hurt is for a podium.

“Given where we started this year, I’m very, very happy. Awesome result for the whole team.  It was amazing to be running back at the front again and I can’t wait for more.”