Max Verstappen faced a challenging British Grand Prix, describing the race as “very difficult” after a spin during a Safety Car restart dropped him down the order, only for the four-time World Champion to recover to a hard-fought fifth place. The Red Bull driver’s struggles were compounded by a low-downforce setup that backfired in the wet conditions at Silverstone, leaving him unable to match the pace of the leading McLarens.
Starting from pole position, Verstappen initially led the race but was overtaken by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on Lap 8 of 52. The race took a turn for the worse when heavy rain hit, and Verstappen’s low-downforce setup, optimized for dry conditions, left his RB21 struggling for grip. A critical moment came during a Safety Car restart when Verstappen spun, dropping to 10th place. “It was just a very difficult race for us, but even after that spin I had no pace,” Verstappen admitted post-race, reflecting on the lack of competitiveness in his car.
The Dutchman’s decision to run a lower-downforce rear wing, made to address crippling understeer from Friday’s practice sessions, paid dividends in qualifying, securing him a surprise pole. However, the wet conditions on race day turned this gamble into a “boomerang,” as Red Bull team boss Christian Horner described it. “The race was exciting, it always is in those conditions. For us, we took a bit of a gamble with the weather, expecting a dry race,” Horner explained, acknowledging the strategic misstep.
Verstappen’s spin wasn’t the only drama during the restart. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who led early in the race, received a 10-second penalty for braking abruptly, forcing Verstappen to take evasive action. “It was partly because of the wing levels, but in general we were pretty poor in these low-grip conditions. Just a horrible race,” Verstappen said, summing up his frustration.
Despite the setbacks, Verstappen battled back, overtaking drivers like Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll to secure fifth place. “So we ended up fifth, which in hindsight is probably the best we could have done after all the things that happened during the race,” he noted, showing resilience despite the challenges.
The race saw McLaren’s Lando Norris claim victory, followed by teammate Piastri in second and Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, who celebrated his maiden F1 podium in third. Verstappen, now third in the Drivers’ Championship, trails leader Piastri by 69 points with Norris just eight points behind his teammate.