Max Verstappen’s P5 finish at the F1 British GP came after a weekend of compromises and unexpected challenges. The Red Bull driver battled car setup issues and sudden weather changes at Silverstone. Despite spinning mid-race, Verstappen recovered to salvage valuable points from a difficult Sunday.
Verstappen’s struggles early on
Verstappen admitted he didn’t know what to expect before the race. He experienced significant car balance problems from the opening lap.
The Red Bull driver’s P5 finish at the British GP came after battling a difficult set-up with Red Bull going for a very low rear wing, almost Monza-spec.
After starting on pole, it was clear very quickly that the McLarens had far superior pace. A spin as one Safety Car period ended dropped him to 10th.
“To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. But, it was just very difficult from lap one onwards,” Verstappen stated. “A very difficult balance in the car between high speed and low speed. I couldn’t really find a good balance. Also, in the end, I think we were degrading the tyres too much.“
The Red Bull driver couldn’t find the right balance in the changing weather conditions. Verstappen’s P5 at the British GP reflected ongoing issues with the setup and tyres that plagued his race.
When asked about how he’s not one to have a moment with such conditions Verstappen responded with: “Not with that wing. It’s unfortunately how it goes.”
Critical moment nearly costs Verstappen points position
A crucial moment during the race almost ended Verstappen’s hope of a points paying position at the British GP. At the restart after a safety car Max Verstappen spun.
The spin occurred when the four-time world champion struggled with cold tyres and challenging track conditions.
“I had, of course, my moment, which made everything a bit more difficult. But even when I was behind, like P10 whatever I was in, I also didn’t really have the pace to move forward, which was a bit concerning,” Verstappen admitted.
When asked if his moment was related to the moment that caused Oscar Piastri to receive a 10 second time penalty for erratic braking, Verstappen clarified: “I don’t think so. I mean, I just tried to go on throttle, but the car has been really difficult already up until that point, we were just trying to find a nice rhythm. And it just caught me out on cold tyres.“
Strategic tire calls secure Verstappen P5 finish at the British GP
Red Bull’s strategic tire decision ultimately secured Max Verstappen’s P5 finish at the British GP. The team made crucial calls to stay out longer on intermediate tyres during changing conditions, and the Dutchman was able to make some passes as the track got drier.
“We made the right call. Stayed calm and stayed out as long as we could with the inters. And that was again the right call. So we ended up fifth, which I think in hindsight is probably the best we could have done after all the things that happened during the race,” Verstappen explained.
The tyre strategy proved essential for Verstappen’s P5 finish at the British GP. Without these tactical decisions, his result could have been a couple of places worse.
Weather changes impact Verstappen’s British GP performance
Overnight weather forecast changes significantly affected Red Bull’s setup for the race. Verstappen’s P5 finish came after dealing with unexpected severe rain conditions at Silverstone.
“The weather forecast overnight just changed a lot. Because up until yesterday, the weather was getting better. It was actually just raining a bit in the morning, and then it would be fine. And then last night, it just shifted into more severe rain. That can happen,” Verstappen noted.
Initially, forecasts suggested lighter morning rain followed by clearing conditions. Instead, severe weather arrived, making the safety car come out for the majority of the beginning few laps which made Verstappen’s British GP and others’ more challenging.
Rear wing set-up complicates Verstappen’s P5 finish
The rear wing configuration added complexity to Max Verstappen’s P5 finish at the British GP.
When asked about the car’s drivability, Verstappen said: “It’s all set-up, I guess, also it’s just difficult to drive today.“
Regarding the rear wing specifically, it made his challenge of driving in the wet a whole lot harder.
“The rear wing, for sure, made everything a lot more complicated. Overall, I think even if we had, let’s say, a livable downforce on the car, we would not be fighting with McLaren, that’s for sure.“
Updates work but are not enough
Red Bull’s recent updates showed promise but weren’t sufficient for a higher finish. Verstappen’s P5 finish at the British GP came with mixed feelings about the car’s development direction.
Verstappen felt quite confident in the updates yesterday after he secured pole position in qualifying. When asked about the updates after the race, Verstappen stated, “The updates work, for sure. But it’s not enough.“
The Dutch driver remained realistic about future improvements despite his P5 finish at the British GP.
Hülkenberg’s maiden podium brightens Verstappen’s British GP weekend
Nico Hülkenberg’s first Formula 1 podium provided a positive highlight alongside Max Verstappen’s P5 finish at the British GP. The veteran German driver finally achieved his long awaited breakthrough.
“Fantastic, I’m really happy for him,” Verstappen said. “It was very nice to see, because I guess when you’re in the front for such a long time, you have not been on the podium and been so close a few times. I think this is pretty special for him.“
When asked about what a podium does to a driver’s confidence, Verstappen added: “I think for Nico, he’s quite relaxed in that sense. He knows what he can do. He has shown that also in the past, before Formula 1 and in Formula 1. But for whatever reason, it didn’t work out until now. So, for sure, he will take it and he will be very happy. But I think he knows anyway how good he is. A podium does not suddenly say that you are a lot better. It’s just really nice for him to at least be on an F1 podium.“
Piastri penalty discussion
Oscar Piastri’s penalty became a talking point after the 2025 F1 British GP. The Red Bull driver only learned about the penalty after the race concluded.
“I only found out after the race that he got one. No one told me during the race. The thing is that it has happened to me now a few times, this kind of scenario. I just find it strange that suddenly now Oscar is the first one to receive 10 seconds first.”
When comparing to George Russell’s Canada incident and if there was a difference, Verstappen simply stated: “Well, to the stewards, yes.”
Dry conditions performance speculation
Regarding potential performance in dry conditions, Max Verstappen remained uncertain. The changing weather made direct comparisons difficult.
“I have no idea. I mean, maybe a bit better. But if you look again at how the pace of the McLarens were today, I think that’s very hard to beat,” Verstappen responded when asked about dry race scenarios.
Max Verstappen fought back from adversity to secure P5 at the F1 British GP. The four-time world champion overcame car balance issues, weather disruptions, and a costly mid-race spin to salvage valuable points.
