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McLaren's Lando Norris repeated his career-best second place finish at the 2023 British GP and was voted the F1 Driver of the Day by fans.
Norris won the award with an overwhelming majority, receiving 45.5% of the votes, followed by Lewis Hamilton (P3) with 12.1% and Oscar Piastri (P4) with 10.8%. The Red Bull duo of Sergio Perez (P6) and Max Verstappen (P1) completed the top five in the polls.
After the race, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both admitted how magnificently Lando Norris drove at Silverstone. Commentators were taken aback by Norris's first move to overtake Max Verstappen. He was able to hold his position in the race till Lap 5 of 52 until Verstappen went all out and snatched the lead.
Norris seemed comfortable in P2 for most of the race. However, there was a bit of trouble when he had to defend his position from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Although there were a few close calls for Lando Norris, especially after the safety car was deployed, McLaren's tire strategy worked as he was able to hold off Hamilton.
Lando Norris was ecstatic about driving in front of his home crowd
Lando Norris had shown signs of improvement in the last few races and must be ecstatic after turning it into a podium finish at his home race. Talking about driving in front of the home crowd ahead of the race, he said:
“I just enjoy it, There are more things to do, more people to see, more activities, longer days – but it’s all extra excitement: there are fans shouting your name, wearing your t-shirts."
When asked about the accident-prone turn, Maggots and Beckett, which is probably one of the most punishing turns for drivers at Silverstone, Norris said:
“Then Maggots and Becketts in an F1 car? Mega. Magical. It’s just so quick. You really test the limit and there’s not so many places where that’s true. Suzuka perhaps, or the first sector at COTA"
Norris also recounted some fond memories of the Silverstone track from his childhood. He said:
“The first time I came here, I was… I think 13, and that was just for Friday, so I never saw the Grand Prix until 2017, when I was here with McLaren. That was quite the experience: from never having seen the race live to being handed a set of headphones and dropped directly into the garage.”
The 23-year-old Briton will be proud after securing a P2 finish at his home race and creating another cherished memory at Silverstone.
