FORMULA ONE: Max Verstappen has beaten the surprise McLaren combination of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to pole position in an unpredictable qualifying hour at the British Grand Prix.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen (centre) poses with second placed McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris (left) and third placed McLaren’s Australian driver Oscar Piastri after the qualifying session for the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone yesterday (July 8). Photo: AFP
Drizzle had dampened the track ahead of yesterday’s (July 8) grid-setting session but eased in time for the cars to hit the track. Grip ramped up constantly throughout the three segments, and the best conditions were saved for the last moments of the top-10 shootout.
Verstappen had already set a flying lap that had looked good enough for provisional pole, but it took him a second attempt on fresh rubber to seal the deal in the changing conditions.
His final time of 1 minute 26.720 seconds snatched him his fifth straight pole and seventh of the season by just 0.241 seconds.
“It’s been quite a crazy qualifying” Verstappen said. “It’s been quite hectic.
“You had to be a little bit careful. Of course you push close to the limit, but knowing that we have a quick car, you don’t need to go to the 100 per cent limit.
“In Q3, when we just go for it, I think that’s where we eked out the gap a little bit.”
Had it not been for his final flying lap, Verstappen would have been usurped by shock challenger Lando Norris, who was wielding his upgraded McLaren to spectacular effect around the greasy track.
The Briton sent his home crowd into raptures when he briefly took provisional pole before Verstappen set his time, and he was elated to deliver such a strong meritorious result for one of the race’s home teams.
“For us to be second and third was pretty amazing for the whole team,” he said. “It makes up for everything, all the hard work that we’ve been putting in.
“We couldn’t have had a better result today – apart from Max!”
He was backed up by rookie teammate Oscar Piastri in third, the Australian just 0.131 seconds further back.
Piastri hasn’t been afforded the latest-specification McLaren due to time constraints in production. The team estimates the new front wing on Norris’s car is worth around 0.1 seconds.
“Very, very, very happy,” he said. “The car was a rocket ship in Q2 and Q3.
“I feel like I put a pretty good lap together. Massive result for the team as well. You know, to consistently have both of us up here is a mega result.
“Now we’re just got to try and stay there for tomorrow.”
Ferrari came close to spoiling McLaren’s party but for a Charles Leclerc mistake at Stowe, costing him precious time after having been neck and neck with Verstappen through to the final sector of the track.
Leclerc will start fourth ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz and Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the quartet split by only 0.075 seconds
Thai driver Alex Albon was a strong eighth. His Williams car has been on the pace all weekend thanks in part to some recent upgrades, and the 27-year-old has been in sparkling form to put himself in a position to score more points this weekend.
Fernando Alonso was a muted ninth, his equal lowest qualifying result of the season, on a day Aston Martin struggled to keep up with the leaders. He was 0.939 seconds off pole and only 0.03 seconds quicker than Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in 10th.
Nico Hülkenberg will start 11th ahead of Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and American rookie Logan Sargeant, who was furious to lose a lap time to track limits in Q2 that blocked him from progressing into the top 10.
Valtteri Bottas was classified 15th after stopping on track with what turned out to be a lack of fuel. He was subsequently disqualified for being unable to provide a fuel sample and will start from the back of the grid.
Sergio Pérez suffered another disastrous Saturday, knocked out in Q1 for the third time this season and failing to make the top 10 for the sixth time in 2023. On all those occasions teammate Verstappen has taken pole.
The Mexican struggled in the slippery conditions in Q1 before a red flag for Kevin Magnussen’s broken-down Haas halted proceedings with three minutes to go. Pérez was first out to guarantee himself time to set a lap, but the track was improving so rapidly that by the time the other 19 drivers set their own times, he’d been punted down to 16th.
Yuki Tsunoda qualified 17th ahead of Zhou Guanyu, Nyck de Vries and the stricken Magnussen.
