British Grand Prix: Post-race Comments

      Pirelli

      Mario Isola, Pirelli motorsport director: “It's hard to imagine a better way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Formula 1 than the weekend just gone. I think the half a million people who attended Silverstone over four days had a fantastic time, despite today's rain! Yesterday's qualifying was unpredictable, just like today's race. Congratulations to McLaren on the double and to Nico Hülkenberg on his first podium in Formula 1. Well-deserved!

      As last year, four out of the five available tyre types were used in the race. It's a shame we didn't see the full potential of the wet tyres – it would have been interesting to evaluate their performance alongside the intermediates, which looked very well suited today, demonstrating their qualities both in deep standing water and on nearly dry asphalt. Of course, due to track conditions, graining and significant wear were observed, but the drivers managed tyre management well.

      Our work at Silverstone is not finished yet. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will return to the track with Sauber and Aston Martin to test prototype tyres for 2026. Gabriel Bortoleto will be driving for the Swiss team on both days, while Lance Stroll and Felipe Drugovich will share the Aston Martin car.”

      McLaren Formula 1 Team

      Lando Norris (1st): “This is wonderful! Everything I dreamed of has come true! In terms of feeling and pride, this achievement compares only to a championship win.

      My career started right here at Silverstone, and now I’ve been able to shine here too. It was an incredible race, as always, very intense, and thanks to all the fans – their support really helped me today!

      Now I feel a bit empty inside. All the thoughts I had before the start tend to fade during the race. The main goal was not to lose victory – that’s rule number one.

      In the final laps, I was just looking at the crowd in the stands. I was trying to remember everything, to enjoy the moment because it might never happen again. Although I hope it will – still, I’ll cherish the memories of this win forever because it’s an incredible achievement.”

      Oscar also had a good race – credit to him, he was fast throughout and deserves applause too. I enjoy competing with him on the track, though I like it less when he's ahead of me than when he's behind, but that’s racing.”

      Oscar Piastri (2nd): “I’m not going to say much or I’ll get into trouble. Congratulations to Nico Hülkenberg – I think he deserves to be called driver of the day.

      I received a 10-second penalty for braking behind the safety car. It seems when you're behind a safety car, braking is no longer allowed. I did the same thing five laps earlier. Still, I like Silverstone, even if I didn’t enjoy today’s race…”

      Sauber

      Nico Hülkenberg (3rd): “Great feelings. It took a long time to get here, right? But I always knew I could do it.

      What a race! I started nearly last, and it all feels quite surreal. I don’t fully understand how it happened, but clearly, the crazy weather played a role. Most of the race turned into a survival fight. We just made the right decisions and put the right tyres on at the right time, avoiding mistakes – simply incredible.

      I denied the possibility of a podium until the last pit stop, but then, when I learned I had a slight gap over Lewis, I thought: ‘Okay, there’s a bit of time to breathe.’

      Then Lewis started closing quickly, so the pressure was there. The race was intense, but we didn’t crack under pressure, didn’t make mistakes, and I’m very happy about that.

      I believe Lewis gave it his all in front of his fans, but I’m thinking: ‘Sorry guys, but today’s my day.’ I’m ready to accept criticism for that. I’m very happy!”

      Gabriel Bortoleto (retirement): “Simply, I made a mistake. I immediately went for slicks, thinking the track would dry quickly. The sun was out, and I didn’t expect rain to start again. That’s why I decided to switch to Medium in hopes of gaining a few positions.

      After the start, tyres had very low grip. When I exited the first turn, the car started to slide, I tried to correct it but couldn’t. I hit the wall with the rear wing, which was damaged. We decided to box to prevent track debris from causing further issues. That’s where my race ended.

      But today was still a special day for me and the team. I consider Nico one of the most talented drivers I’ve ever met, and he’s undoubtedly my best teammate in many ways – both as a person and as a racer. He works hard and deserved this result.”

      Scuderia Ferrari

      Frederic Vasseur, team principal: “A chaotic race for everyone from start to finish, though probably enjoyable for the fans. Conditions changed so often that choosing the right tyres was difficult, and the frequent safety car periods complicated the assessment of potential developments.

      After the race, it’s always easy to think about a more optimal strategy. Charles’ decision to switch to slicks at the start was a bold move. Things could have gone differently if it had paid off.

      It’s obvious that McLaren’s cars are much faster, but today we scored more points than Mercedes and Red Bull – which is positive, along with the fact that we were competitive in qualifying until the very end. Our pace improved significantly since the start of the year, and now we need to carry this momentum into the second half of the season.

      We will analyze the data collected this weekend and identify the issues we faced. The most important thing now is to take another step forward at Spa, consolidate everything, and have an almost perfect weekend.

      I want to congratulate Nico on his first podium. Considering his talent, he truly deserved it.”

      Lando Norris (4th): “Today we didn’t get the result we hoped for, but we kept progressing. I feel better and better with this car.

      At times, it seemed like a third place was quite achievable, but I have to give credit to Nico, who raced very well and finally made it to the podium.

      Silverstone always provides fantastic spectacle, and the changing weather made the race even more interesting. Huge thanks to the amazing fans for their support this weekend, it’s always great to race at home.”

      Charles Leclerc (14th): “A very tough race from start to finish. Now I realize that my decision to do a pit stop on the formation lap and switch to slicks was wrong, but I don’t think it significantly changed the outcome – we simply didn’t have the right pace today.

      In recent races, I used quite radical setups, which worked on dry asphalt, but in conditions like today’s, they proved ineffective. Clearly, there’s a lot of work ahead.

      Congrats to Nico for the podium, it’s a great achievement for him and his team.”

      Red Bull Racing

      Max Verstappen (5th): “Not the best day. We didn’t expect the track to be so wet. The weather changed overnight against us, making it difficult to set up the rear wing properly.

      Whenever the car is set for low downforce, it’s hard to balance in fast and slow corners with the tools we have.

      On the restart, I was spun around and lost many positions. I don’t know what happened when I pressed the throttle, but I fought back and finished fifth. After spinning, I continued even though the car was less fast.

      Positive points include our strategy. We made correct strategic decisions, pitted at the right moment, and stayed on intermediates. All decisions were right, but the intermediates lacked pace. That’s racing, and we’re never satisfied with fifth, but we keep moving forward.

      I didn’t enjoy the race, but I was pleased to see Nico on the podium for the first time. I’m sure he’ll celebrate tonight. The next round is at Spa, my favourite track on the calendar. Hopefully, we’ll perform better.”

      Yuki Tsunoda (15th): “Today was tough, but I wouldn’t say I made too many mistakes. I just had serious issues with pace, and on a dry track, my speed was lacking. Rain was the main problem today, and then, as usual, the tyres degraded heavily.

      The incident with Oliver Berman was strange – minimal contact between cars, but in such conditions, it had serious consequences. I found him after the race to apologize.

      Regarding the weekend overall, my short stint speed was decent, but the tyre degradation over a longer run was incredible. I felt confident in the rain, but we need to understand why I lacked pace.

      Maybe downforce played a role, but I was still slower than I should have been. The situation in Belgium should be different, and we’ll be working hard in the lead-up to the next race.”

      Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

      Lance Stroll (7th): “A complicated weekend. We showed good speed in Friday’s practice but couldn’t confirm it in qualifying, starting further back. During the race, the team made several good strategic choices, and the result was decent.

      Unfortunately, tyre wear prevented us from finishing higher. In the final stretch, Nico Hülkenberg had much better grip, but given the wear, we achieved the best possible result.”

      Ferdando Alonso (9th): “We scored some points but feel we missed an opportunity.

      The rain made it hard to judge. I lost positions at the first pit stop, and at the second, I pitted too early and lost a lot of time.

      We had good pace, but ultimately, we couldn’t capitalize on all the opportunities in this action-packed race.

      I’m very happy for Nico Hülkenberg, who was on the podium for the first time. I hope he’s enjoying the celebrations.”

      Williams Racing

      Alex Albon (8th): “I’m pleased with our performance. We found the right balance between risk and caution, recovering after Saturday’s issues. The car was quick near the end, and in the last lap, I managed to overtake Alonso.

      I loved racing in the rain here, especially with the narrow dry line and no room for mistakes. We gathered a lot of useful data this weekend that will help us solve the issues before Spa.”

      Carlos Sainz (12th): “I avoided problems, managed the tyres well, and showed good pace. Unfortunately, near the end, when I was about to overtake Leclerc, he lost control in Turn 15, crossed the track, and hit my car. We both went off, lost many positions, and I finished the race in a damaged car.

      I’ve been unlucky with incidents this year, and this was just one example. I know better days are coming, but I am very disappointed now. Looking forward to the summer break and hoping the second half of the season will be better. Huge thanks to all Williams fans for this weekend! Your support was fantastic!”

      Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team

      Toto Wolff, team principal: “Today, we performed poorly, making one bad decision after another, and now we’ll analyze our actions to improve next time. We have to accept this result but also ensure such mistakes are not repeated.

      The wrong decision was to switch to slick tyres on the formation lap. After that, everything went downhill. We didn’t split strategies, but if we had, Kimi’s race might have turned out differently. He was unlucky, as his car got damaged when most drivers were behind the safety car, even though Antonio didn’t need to be at the back of the pack…

      At the pit stops, we chose the wrong tyres, fitting hard slicks that are difficult to heat. Overall, it was a tough day, and in the remaining races before the summer break, we need to bounce back.”

      George Russell (10th): “In conditions like today, it’s always challenging to make the right calls, and unfortunately, we didn’t manage that. After the warm-up lap, we opted for hard tyres, but then, 25 minutes into the rain, the track was dry enough to make a good gain. Unfortunately, we spent 15 minutes running in VSC mode.

      Once the race resumed, we gained a few seconds per lap, but the gap was too big to close. Then, we pitted too early again, switched back to slicks as the track was drying, and had difficulty heating the tyres. The car spun, and I lost many positions – we were lucky to recover to 10th, but it was overall an unlucky day.

      I didn’t want to race my home Grand Prix that way. We’ll analyze and learn from this, and aim to come back stronger before the summer break.”

      Kimi Räikkönen (retirement): “Tough day. I wasn’t sure if I should have pitted early and switched to hards, but we decided to do so. Unfortunately, soon after, the VSC was deployed, and I couldn’t heat the tyres. When racing resumed, the issues persisted, and I couldn’t take advantage of the drying track.

      When it started to rain, conditions became very dangerous. Even when the safety car came out, visibility was poor, and there was a lot of standing water, which caught Huuja off guard. We were both unlucky in that incident, and although I wanted to continue, my diffuser was badly damaged, so I had to retire.

      This weekend is best forgotten, but we will come back in Spa with renewed strength.”

      Haas F1 Team

      Ayo Komatsu, team principal: “An incident of our drivers colliding was the last thing we wanted. I reviewed the onboard footage, spoke with both, and concluded it was a racing incident.

      Looking at how they ended up together on track, the pit stop timing was correct – we called the car ahead in first. However, Oliver spun off on a fast corner and ended up behind Esteban after his pit stop.

      Oliver's tyres were better warmed up, so he attempted an overtake, but such a situation should never have happened. When cars have different strategies or speeds, and we ask them to swap positions, they act as proper team players. They don’t argue and execute orders immediately. It was a racing incident, but we must ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

      Oliver Berman (11th): “A tough race. We switched to slicks at the start, but now we understand it was a mistake given the forecasted rain. I lost a lot of time during the race.

      At one point, I was spun after contact, but after that, I fought for points and finished 11th, which is disappointing. We were quick this weekend, so it’s a shame how it ended.

      Conditions were difficult, only one dry line was available, so I couldn’t overtake Russell in the final laps. The positive is that the car was fast, my balance was good, and I made progress.”

      Esteban Ocon (13th): “A very difficult race. I started squeezed between two cars. As soon as I saw this, I thought a contact was possible, so I eased off immediately, but there wasn’t much room for three cars in that turn. I’m glad everyone is okay, and miraculously, my car wasn’t damaged.

      We made the right strategic decisions afterward, but we didn’t pit for new intermediates. That cost us; normally, that wouldn’t happen to me.

      Regarding the incident with Oliver, it’s unfortunate how it turned out. We both deserved more today. We deserved points based on our starting positions, so we will review everything to improve.”

      Racing Bulls

      Isaac Hajjar (retirement): “Races in such difficult conditions always carry some risk. After the start, I was running well behind Charles, using the same strategy, but it turned out to be wrong.

      I couldn’t see much behind the safety car due to spray, and tyre temperatures dropped. On the restart, I wanted a bit more margin, but when I saw the red light on Kimi’s back, it was already too late – visibility was zero. Luckily, I’m okay and looking forward to Spa.”

      Liam Lawson (retirement): “Unfortunately, my race ended early due to an incident. We chose the right tyres and had a good start, so it’s frustrating that we couldn’t demonstrate the car’s potential.

      Our car performs well in mixed conditions, and we could have achieved a good result, but we missed out on points. In a few weeks, we’ll go to Spa for another special weekend. We will try to score points there.”