Verstappen wins 6th consecutive F1 race with British Grand Prix victory

On a day when Brad Pitt joined the Formula 1 grid to shoot his new film, defending champion Max Verstappen was reduced to a cameo role in his own victory with F1 fans gripped by the battle for second place.

Aside from losing the lead to Lando Norris at the start – and then taking it back – Verstappen’s cruise to yet another victory on Sunday – his sixth in a row – missed the Hollywood-esque drama of Norris’ battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for the second.

That fits a pattern this season of dominant wins for the Red Bull driver and tougher battles behind him as Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and now McLaren jostle to become the second-fastest team.

“It’s very confusing, to be honest, because it’s someone different every race,” said Verstappen.

Filming took place all weekend around the F1 sessions for Pitt’s upcoming F1-themed movie, featuring black-and-gold cars from the fictional APX team. Pitt himself and co-star Damson Idris arrived on the grid in racing suits for the start.

Verstappen extended his lead to 99 points over teammate Sergio Perez. First place in a race earns 25 points.

Verstappen started in pole position and was overtaken off the line by McLaren’s Norris in what he later admitted was a “terrible” start, but re-took the lead on lap five and held on to the end. Red Bull has won all 10 races this year, 11 in a row including the last race of 2022, matching McLaren’s record of 11 consecutive wins set in 1988.

Norris was expected to drop back after a surprise second qualifying on the grid, but instead remained Verstappen’s closest challenger throughout the race. After a safety car restart, he battled wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton, who theoretically had faster tires but held onto second for his and McLaren’s best result since 2021. “It was a great battle,” said Norris. .

McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri was a career best fourth to Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell as McLaren’s upgraded car proved to be much more competitive than even the team predicted.

Perez was off the podium for the fourth time in five races and finished sixth after starting 15th, with a seventh for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and an impressive eighth for Williams’ Alexander Albon.

When Kevin Magnussen broke down on lap 33 of 52 with flames coming out of the back of his Haas, drivers like Verstappen, Norris and Hamilton had the chance to get under the safety car without losing any time. Ferrari were among the losers as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had just pitted. They finished ninth and tenth respectively.

Canadian Lance Stroll finished in 14th place.

Drivers had warned of a repeat of track protests, arguing that it would endanger their safety and that of protesters entering a live track. Last year’s protest came shortly after a crash caused a red flag stoppage, meaning cars were already slowing down on their way to the pits.

Before the Grand Prix on Sunday, environmental group Last Generation postponed the start of a DTM sports car race in Nuremberg, Germany, after pouring oil on the track.