Lando Norris was voted the Driver of the Day at the 2023 British Grand Prix as he took a mightily impressive second at Silverstone.
McLaren arrived at the iconic British circuit with some momentum following an improved showing in Austria, with Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri impressing in qualifying to line up second and third respectively.
But it was Norris who was the star of Sunday as he vaulted into the lead off the line, making the most of Max Verstappen‘s sloppy start to the delight of the home crowd.
He could do little to keep the RB19 behind for more than a few laps but showed his wheel-to-wheel prowess late on to fend off Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren opted to put the young Brit onto hard tyres when the safety car was brought out by Kevin Magnussen, meaning he was under serious pressure from the seven-time world champion, who was on softs at the restart.
But try as Hamilton might, Norris could not be passed, further highlighting the massive step forward McLaren have taken with their recently introduced upgrade package.
It’s little wonder Norris took 45 percent of the vote for Driver of the Day. The only surprise is that his margin wasn’t greater.
Norris wins Driver of the Day at British GP 2023
Norris was understandably delighted to take the chequered flag in second place after McLaren‘s pretty dismal start to the season.
“Pretty insane,” Norris said. “Thanks to the whole team, they have done an amazing job. None of this would be possible without their hard work.
“They put me on hard tyres I don’t know why. They are still beginners in something!
“It was an amazing fight with Lewis, I made a few too many mistakes maybe.
“I did what I could. I brought the fight to Max for as long as possible. It’s a long lonely race when you’re in the middle but it’s amazing.”
“The whole in-lap I was just trying to wave to everyone so thank you to all the British fans out here supporting all of us. We should have had P2, P3. Oscar did an amazing job and he would have been P3 without the safety car.
“The fans are amazing so a big thanks to all of them.”
