Lando Norris wins thrilling British Grand Prix in the rain to cut Oscar Piastri's F1 lead

SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — It was an image that inspired Lando Norris to chase his Formula 1 dream.

The sight of Lewis Hamilton, his tires kicking up a tail of spray as he sped through the rain toward victory at the British Grand Prix in 2008, stayed with the 8-year-old Norris, who was watching on TV.

On Sunday, Norris got his own win in a thrilling wet British GP — also involving Hamilton — in front of the British crowd.

“I got that picture of him going around and seeing all the fans standing up, that picture of what the atmosphere at Silverstone is like, and dreamed of that for many, many years,” Norris said. “Today I got to live that feeling myself."

Amid spins, crashes and controversy, Norris held on to win and cut the gap to his teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri.

Norris had said it was the race he'd give up all other victories for.

He started third on the grid, overtook Max Verstappen for second, lost the place again due to a slow pit stop, then saw Verstappen spin out ahead of him. He took the lead after Piastri had to serve a 10-second penalty for sharp braking behind the safety car earlier.

It was McLaren's first win at Silverstone since that Hamilton victory in 2008. Hamilton went on to win his first title that year. On Sunday, Hamilton finished fourth.

“This is a dream, winning at home. It’s beautiful," Norris told the team over the radio. "Thanks for the memory. I’ll remember this more than anything.”

He climbed out of the car and celebrated with both arms raised to take in the moment, before hugs with his team and his mother. On the podium, Norris closed his eyes with a smile as the British anthem played.

Piastri finished second behind Norris after the penalty. He asked for the lead back.

The Australian thought the penalty was unfair, arguing it was for a legal move that he and others had done before to slow down the cars behind before speeding off at the restart.

Adding an element of controversy to what's been an unusually friendly title rivalry, Piastri even suggested that if McLaren thought the call was unfair, the team could ask him and Norris to swap places to cancel the effect of the penalty. The team declined to do so.

Piastri had been leading the pack before a restart from safety car conditions and slowed to back up the cars behind, but did it sharply enough that Max Verstappen behind had to swerve to avoid him.

Once it became clear Piastri would have to serve the penalty at his next pit stop, Norris made sure the Australian couldn’t build a lead to cancel it out. Norris just needed to stay with his teammate and hovered two seconds behind, waiting to inherit the lead.

Piastri now leads Norris by eight points overall, cut from 15. It's the halfway point of the season, with 12 of 24 races remaining.

In a race with plenty of crashes and spins, Sauber's Nico Hülkenberg was third from 19th on the grid for his first podium finish in his 239th race of an F1 career that began in 2010. His team hadn't finished in the top three since 2012.

Verstappen started on pole but ended up fifth after spinning from second behind Piastri at a safety-car restart, briefly dropping to 10th. The Dutch driver stayed third in the standings but it was another heavy blow to his title defense, leaving him 69 points off Piastri.

Smart strategy could win big, like it did for Hulkenberg, or risk everything. George Russell asked the team for slick tires on a slippery track and span off through the gravel a lap later, finishing 10th.

It was a rough day for the rookies. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar crashed into the wall after hitting the back of fellow rookie Kimi Antonelli, saying he couldn’t see the Mercedes driver in the rain.

Antonelli later retired and fellow rookies Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto all failed to finish too. Oliver Bearman made it to the end for Haas in 11th but crashed into teammate Esteban Ocon along the way.

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Team members cheer for McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain as he wins the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, right, is congratulated by his teammate Oscar Piastri of Australia after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car as it rains during the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Visitors in the paddock stand under umbrellas during a shower at the Silverstone racetrack ahead of the British Formula One Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 6, 2025.(AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session at the Silverstone racetrack, ahead of the British Formula One Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates his pole position after the qualifying session at the Silverstone racetrack, ahead of the British Formula One Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands reacts after taking the pole position during the qualifying for the British Formula One Grand Prix in Silverstone, England, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)