© Getty ImagesRace Changing Moments - British Grand Prix 2023Silverstone, you were as exciting as ever. Here’s our race-defining moments from a weekend in Towcester.
The2023BritishGrandPrixcouldarguablybecalledtheraceoftheseasonsofar.Itwasarollercoasterridefromthestartuntiltheendoflap52.Infact,theentireweekendwasawhirlwind,solet’slookbackatthemomentsthatdefinedourrace.
BritishWeatherStrikesAgain
Q1 was hindered by the British weather – although it wasn’t actually raining, the track was still damp from an earlier downpour. Both Bulls left the pits on soft slicks and put in solid times, but with three minutes of the session remaining the red flags came out due to a Haas coming to a halt on track.
With the track conditions constantly improving throughout the session, Checo had slipped into P20, so needed to get a fast lap under his belt. He was front of the queue in the pit lane waiting for the track to go green again, and when he headed out for a flying lap he managed a 1:29.968 which put him straight into P1. The only issue was the track was still drying up and everyone else behind him was still to put in their final lap. It was painful to watch as Checo slipped down the timesheet as car after car set a faster lap, but there was no time left for the Bull to head back out.
Due to the difficult conditions in Q1 and Q2 there was no DRS, but with conditions continuing to improve, it was enabled for the final qualifying session.
Max sat in P1, but with time left for a few final runs the other drivers were catching up. With a sensational lap, Lando Norris crossed the line to take provisional pole, but Max was still on his final flyer. His first two sectors weren’t his quickest of the day, but he had blistering pace in sector three and stole back pole by just 0.241s. That lap made it Max’s first British Grand Prix pole, his fifth pole position in a row and his seventh of the season.
Fifth Pole In A Row© Getty Images
With Max on pole and Norris in P2 it was going to be an interesting start. Norris got away very quickly and was able to get his McLaren in front of Max’s RB19.
However, Max stayed ice-cool and played the long game. Max kept his car within DRS range of Norris and on lap five, going into Brooklands, he made his move to take the lead from Norris, where he remained until the chequered flag.
Momentarily Taking A Step Back© Getty Images
Checo had a tough 52-laps ahead of him as he set off to make his way through the pack, but as it says on the back of his crash helmet: “Never give up”, and he didn’t. Although he dropped a position at lights out he soon started making has way up the ranks, and his ability to get the most out of his tyres saw him last longer than most on the mediums.
By lap 38, when the safety car returned to the pits after K-Mag stopped on track, Checo was up to P8. But of course, he didn’t stop there – in the closing laps he was able to power passed both Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso into P6.
In Focus Mode© Getty Images
The 2023 British Grand Prix represented the Team’s 11th win in a row and that puts Oracle Red Bull Racing alongside McLaren for the record for most consecutive wins. McLaren set their record in 1988, and before now no one else has quite reached that milestone.
We were tied with Mercedes and Ferrari on 10 consecutive wins, which is no easy feat, but now we’re only one step away from breaking that record… Can the Bulls go 12 in a row in Hungary? We’ll soon find out.
Dutch Delight In Silverstone© Getty Images
