SILVERSTONE, England – Max Verstappen will start from pole position at the British Grand Prix. The reigning world champion delivered a remarkable lap at the conclusion of Saturday`s qualifying session to edge out both McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Verstappen`s fastest time was just 0.109 seconds quicker than Piastri`s lap, who finished second. Norris secured third place, trailing Verstappen by only 0.118 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari initially seemed poised for pole, but he lost time in the final sector of his ultimate Q3 attempt. This left him fifth on the grid, positioned behind his former Mercedes teammate George Russell, who qualified fourth.
This pole position is Verstappen`s fourth of the current season and marks a significant improvement after a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix the previous weekend. In Austria, he qualified seventh and was involved in an opening lap collision that ended his race.
The outcome in Austria dealt a considerable setback to Verstappen`s championship defense; he currently trails championship leader Piastri by 61 points. Nevertheless, his performance in qualifying at Silverstone underscored his consistent ability to make a crucial difference over a single qualifying lap.
Max Verstappen starts on pole for the third time at the British Grand Prix, equaling Sebastian Vettel`s record of 44 poles for Red Bull.
“It was quite difficult out there with the wind,” Verstappen commented after the session. “It was unpredictable, and these cars are very sensitive to it.”
“My final lap was sufficient. Silverstone is a proper racing circuit where you have to push flat out. It demands full commitment and is truly enjoyable. We also seem quite fast on the straights.”
“I`m pleased with qualifying. It`s a significant morale boost for the team, and I`m looking forward to the race tomorrow,” he added.
Piastri was just 0.009 seconds ahead of his teammate Norris, who is his closest competitor in the championship standings, only 15 points behind. Piastri expressed satisfaction with his initial Q3 lap, a 1:24.995.
“Honestly, the first lap was amazing,” Piastri stated. “I tried to figure out how I could improve, but I couldn`t.”
Norris had appeared quicker than Piastri during Friday practice, but he seemed to lose some pace on Saturday amidst cooler and windier conditions.
Norris acknowledged that third place was still a positive result: “A good qualifying session. I won`t be unhappy with third, although I would have loved to be on pole here at Silverstone. Max performed well. We weren`t quick enough today, but the race should be exciting. Qualifying here is fast and enjoyable.”
Hamilton`s promising speed from Friday practice didn`t quite translate into a pole challenge. However, he was only 0.203 seconds off Verstappen`s pole time on his last Q3 run. He will start ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who qualified sixth, just 0.026 seconds slower than Hamilton. This is the third time in the last four races that Hamilton has out-qualified Leclerc.
British Grand Prix Qualifying: Top 10
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:24.892 |
| 2. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:24.995 |
| 3. Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:25.010 |
| 4. George Russell | Mercedes | 1:25.029 |
| 5. Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:25.095 |
| 6. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:25.121 |
| 7. Andrea Kimi Antonelli* | Mercedes | 1:25.374 |
| 8. Oliver Bearman** | Haas | 1:25.471 |
| 9. Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:25.621 |
| 10. Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:25.785 |
| *Antonelli drops to 10th on the grid due to a three-place penalty from the Austrian GP. **Bearman drops to 18th on the grid due to a 10-place penalty for crashing under red flags in final practice. | ||
Andrea Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh for Mercedes but will start 10th after receiving a three-place grid penalty for an incident with Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman was eighth fastest in qualifying but faces a significant drop to 18th on the grid due to a 10-place penalty incurred for crashing during a red flag period in final practice.
Bearman`s penalty promotes Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin to seventh on the starting grid, and Pierre Gasly of Alpine moves up from 10th to eighth.
Carlos Sainz qualified 11th for Williams and will start ninth after Antonelli`s penalty is applied.
Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull qualified 12th, over half a second slower than Verstappen in the same Q2 session. Tsunoda will begin the race in 11th, ahead of a close midfield pack including Racing Bull`s Isack Hadjar in 12th, Williams driver Alex Albon in 13th, and Esteban Ocon of Haas in 14th.
Franco Colapinto spins out into the gravel during qualifying, red-flagging the session in Q1.
Liam Lawson in the other Racing Bull missed out on Q2 by just 0.112 seconds and will start 15th. He is ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto in 16th for Sauber and Lance Stroll in 17th for Aston Martin. After penalties, Nico Hülkenberg in the second Sauber starts 19th, behind Bearman.
Franco Colapinto spun off track at Club Corner while trying to improve his lap time in Q1, resulting in him starting last on the grid. This incident comes at a challenging time for the Argentine driver, whose position at Alpine is reportedly under scrutiny. Colapinto was brought into the team to replace Jack Doohan after five races, and in his sixth Grand Prix weekend, he has yet to make a strong impression.
