Max Verstappen takes Red Bull’s 11th Formula One win in a row
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen reeled off his sixth straight win in Sunday’s British Grand Prix with Lando Norris for McLaren in second.
PHOTO: AFP
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SILVERSTONE – Max Verstappen claimed his first British Grand Prix victory on Sunday, to deliver a record-equalling 11th consecutive win for his Red Bull team and his sixth in successive races.
In a race of attrition, interrupted by safety cars and influenced by tyre wear, the Dutchman came home almost four seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who held off Mercedes’ seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling finale.
It was two-time world champion Verstappen’s 43rd career win and his eighth in 10 races in 2023, as he increased his lead over teammate Sergio Perez in the drivers’ championship to 99 points.
Said the Dutchman: “We had a terrible start so we need to look into why that was.
“Even after that, I think Lando, well, both McLarens, were super quick, so it took quite a few laps to pass them...
“I’m very happy that we won again. I think 11 wins in a row for the team is incredible, but it wasn’t straightforward today...
“The (bad start) made it a bit more exciting.”
Verstappen was beaten off the start by Norris, second on the grid, but soon asserted his dominance to deny a home win for the British driver in front of 160,000 fans.
“Pretty amazing, insane... It was an amazing fight with Lewis. I made too many mistakes maybe,” smiled Norris, after a tense fight with Hamilton for second spot.
“I brought the fight to Max for as long as possible. It’s a long lonely race when you’re in the middle but it’s amazing.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, paid tribute to both Norris and the Silverstone crowd.
He told Sky Sports: “I didn’t do it, the crowd did it. Silverstone put on an amazing show.
“I felt the energy, I felt the support which is the reason we got back up here.
“Big congratulations to Lando and McLaren. It was where I first started so to see them back up there looking so strong... That thing was rapid through the high-speed corners. Wow. I couldn’t keep up, but we had a good little battle on the restart...
“This is a good positive for us as a team to know we’re not that far off.”
Norris’ McLaren teammate, Australian rookie Oscar Piastri, finished fourth ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, Perez, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Williams’ Alex Albon.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came home ninth and 10th, a disappointing result for the Italian team after they had started from fourth and fifth on the grid. AFP, REUTERS
