F1 British GP winners and losers: Max Verstappen has big decision to make

Lando Norris made it back-to-back wins to claim his first home victory in a chaotic, rain-affected British Grand Prix which marked the half-way point in the 2025 F1 season.

Here are our biggest winners and losers from an action-packed F1 race at Silverstone…

Winner - Lando Norris

Norris scored an emotional and memorable maiden home win to cap off what has been an exceptional week for the Briton.

Two victories on the bounce have seen Norris trim what was a 22-point deficit to Piastri prior to the Austrian Grand Prix down to just eight. This has been a huge seven days for Norris to take back some crucial momentum at two of his best circuits, and start to apply some pressure on Piastri.

Norris may not have been at his best at Silverstone in qualifying or the grand prix itself, and rode his luck in gaining from Piastri’s penalty, but he put himself in the right place at the right time and was one of the few error-free drivers in exceptionally difficult conditions.

Loser - Max Verstappen and Red Bull

After a stunning qualifying lap to take a shock pole position, it ended up being a tough British Grand Prix for Max Verstappen. Red Bull’s low-downforce gamble backfired in the wet, leaving him in a battle to keep his RB21 on track throughout the first stint and at pray to the much faster McLarens.

Verstappen’s race unravelled with a rare mistake when he spun at the Safety Car restart and dropped out of the top-10. He did well to recover to fifth by the chequered flag, but it was another weekend to forget for the Dutchman whose hopes of winning a fifth world title look even bleaker.

Heading into a three-week break, Verstappen will have plenty to mull over, including his future, which continues to be a major talking point amid Mercedes’ ongoing pursuit.

Winner - Nico Hulkenberg and Sauber

Nico Hulkenberg finally ended his unwanted F1 podium record by scoring a shock third place in the British Grand Prix. 

On his 239th start, the 37-year-old German finally stood on the rostrum for the first time, handing Sauber their first podium since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg drove superbly in tricky conditions and managed to keep Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at bay in the closing laps to secure a result which lifts Sauber up to sixth and 18 points behind fifth-placed Williams.

Loser - Oscar Piastri

For the first time this season, we witnessed an angry Piastri. For much of Sunday’s 52-lap race, the championship leader looked to be in control, having scythed his way past a struggling Verstappen and opened up a dominant buffer prior to the Safety Car.

A costly penalty for erratic driving at the restart ultimately cost Piastri the win, as he crossed the line 6.812s behind Norris and squandered a further seven points to his teammate in the process.

Piastri has now suffered consecutive defeats to Norris and has lost his recent momentum. Are a couple of scrappy weekends a reflection of the usually-unfazed Piastri starting to buckle under the pressure, or just a blip?

Winner - Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly enjoyed a fantastic weekend at the British Grand Prix. First, a magic qualifying lap secured the Frenchman a Q3 appearance and top-10 starting position.

Then, in Sunday’s grand prix, the Alpine driver kept pace with Hamilton’s Ferrari in the first stint and ran consistently inside the top seven. An opportunistic last-lap overtake on Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin saw Gasly claim a well-deserved P6 and give his struggling Alpine team a much-needed boost.

Loser - Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc’s race was ruined by a gamble to switch to slick tyres at the end of the formation lap. It proved to be the wrong decision and saw the Monegasque fall out of top-10 contention. Leclerc battled his way back through the order, only for several off-track adventures during a scrappy race leaving him down in a disappointing P14 on what was his worst weekend of the season so far.

Winner - Alex Albon

After both Williams drivers were eliminated in Q2 during a frustrating qualifying, Alex Albon criticised his team’s decision-making and called for a review. 24 hours later, Albon’s emotions would have done a complete 180 as he worked his way into the points with a strong drive to eighth. It marked a welcome return to the top-10 after Williams scored just a solitary point from the previous three rounds.

Loser - Mercedes

12 months on from Hamilton’s fairytale win at Silverstone, Mercedes endured a nightmare British Grand Prix.

George Russell and Mercedes threw away a solid top five result (and possible podium) by pitting on the formation lap, and making a “suicidal” switch to softs when the track was far too wet, leading to a huge, high-speed spin for Russell. 

With Kimi Antonelli retiring with damage after being hit from behind by Isack Hadjar, a point for Russell in 10th was all Mercedes could muster on a truly miserable Sunday.

Loser - Haas

While they watched their rivals score big, Haas once again missed a golden opportunity to claim a big result in a chaotic and unpredictable race as Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon could only manage 11th and 12th in an operationally poor race. To rub salt into the wounds, Bearman and Ocon hit each other.