A confirmation and a big surprise: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) held his rank by winning a new pole position, while McLaren impressed by taking second and third places on Saturday during qualifying for the British F1 GP. The Dutchman, who prances at the top of the provisional classification of the world championship, will start in the lead on Sunday for the eighth time in ten races this season, the fifth in a row.
The reigning double world champion, who got a little scared before the start of Q3 when he broke his front wing on leaving his garage, once again assumed his status as favorite to finish at the top of the leaderboard. time.
However, against all expectations, it was the McLarens of Briton Lando Norris and Australian rookie Oscar Piastri who gave him a hard time at the end of the hour of qualifying during which the track gradually dried after being wet at the start. afternoon. “Qualifying was pretty crazy with the changing conditions. It was very tight today. I was very surprised to see the McLarens so fast but it’s good for them. From my side, obviously, I am delighted to be in pole position,” said Verstappen.
Indeed, while we were rather expecting the Ferraris or the Mercedes, it was the orange and black single-seaters that surprised and ignited the public who had filled the stands of the legendary Silverstone circuit.
“It’s a fantastic result for the team, we will try to keep these places tomorrow (Sunday) in the race. We have taken a big step forward with the car since Barcelona, although there is still a lot of work to do because we still have weak points,” explained Piastri. “It’s great to finish second and third in qualifying. We worked hard and couldn’t have hoped for better today because of Max! It is obvious that we have made progress after a complicated start to the season,” added Norris.
In the last minute of qualifying, it was Piastri who set the fastest time first, before his team-mate sent thousands of British fans to their feet by taking first place. Even though Verstappen eventually got ahead of Norris by 241 thousandths, he couldn’t spoil the party for the British driver, who stole the show from local idol Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
The seven-time world champion has indeed only won seventh place on a track where he nevertheless holds the record for victories in F1 with eight successes. He finished just behind his teammate George Russell and the two Ferraris of Monegasque Charles Leclerc and Spaniard Carlos Sainz. A few hundred meters from their factory, the Aston Martins also disappointed as Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Canadian Lance Stroll finished ninth and twelfth respectively.
Sergio Pérez completely missed qualifying at the wheel of the second Red Bull since he was eliminated in Q1 and will only start in 15th position, confirming his difficulties on Saturday since his pole position won in Miami in early May. The Mexican has indeed failed to reach Q3 for the fifth time in a row and could see his future in the Austrian team darken if he multiplies the poor performance.
On the French side, the day was frustrating for the two Alpines since the French drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon only achieved the 10th and 13th times, far from the McLarens, with whom they are fighting for fifth place in the constructors’ classification.
