F1 | Qualifying | British GP | Verstappen clinches pole with flawless lap - Motorsport

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Red Bull Racing’s and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen stormed to pole during Qualifying with a flawless lap at the F1 British GP, full report and results below.

It was a strong Friday for the Brits as Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris topped FP1 and FP2 respectively. As expected, both McLaren drivers found their way into the Top 5 in both sessions. However, it was the Ferrari’s that impressed on Friday as they looked to be the closest challengers to McLaren. Especially after Austria, where they struggled to match McLaren’s race pace, this turnaround came as a surprise to many. FP3 delivered a strange and eventful session that left everyone guessing who will be pole contenders heading into Qualifying. But, as Charles Leclerc topped the session, the fight for pole was well and truly on.

During FP3, Ollie Bearman found the barriers at pit entry after he sped into the pit lane. The incident was deemed a serious red-flag infringement. As a result, the stewards have since handed Bearman a 10-place grid drop for tomorrow’s race with an additional 4 penalty points to his licence, bringing his total to 8 active points for the season.

Q1 heads underway!

Green lights at the end of the pit lane as the first part of Qualifying went underway. The first drivers out of the pit lane were the Sauber duo of Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. After a hefty crash for Bortoleto in FP3, an impressive rebuild job was done by the Sauber mechanics for the rookie to get back out. Although there a low possibility of rain expected, Pierre Gasly was the first driver to report back to his team with spits of rain.

Headed on the first flying lap of the session was Bortoleto. The Brazilian he crossed the line with a 1:27.475. Hülkenberg followed next across the line to slot himself behind his teammate with a 1:27.477. Improving ahead of the Alpines and Saubers who set the first flying-laps, Alex Albon put seven tenths between himself and Franco Colapinto as he crossed the line with a time of 1:26.392.

The reigning World Champion Max Verstappen was next to set off on a flying lap. Setting the first representatitive benchmark for others to chase, Verstappen’s first lap was enough to claim the top spot with a 1:26.041. However, it was not long before both McLarens found their way to the Top 5. First McLaren across the line was Lando Norris with a time of 1:26.165 which was enough for P3. Shortly after, Oscar Piastri crossed the line to catapult himself to the top with a 1:26.002. A storming lap from Fernando Alonso slotted himself into P3, pushing Norris down to P4.

Red flag for spinning Colapinto

A cloud of smoke appeared on broadcast as Franco Colapinto spun out of the penultimate corner. Running into the gravel, the Argentine touched the barriers as he flat-spotted his tyres terribly. Managing to back out of the barriers, Colapinto first attempted to trundle back to the pits. However, parked up right ahead of the pit exit, that was the Argentine’s day over. As the red flag flew, six minutes remained for the first part of Qualifying.

As a resumption time was given, drivers in the relegation zone were Gasly, Colapinto, Hülkenberg and Bortoleto. This meant that after his incident, it was definite that a back-of-the-grid start was definite for Colapinto.

Q1 resumed as drivers eager to get going for final runs

It was reported that more rain started to pour down as drivers headed back out on track. As the final runs of Qualifying resumed, both William’s headed on a new set of soft tyres. Shortly after setting off on his final run of Qualifying, Piastri backed out of his lap. Hopping onto the radio, Hamilton had reported more rain pouring over the track. After a underwhelming banker lap, Albon crossed the line as he stormed to P3 with a time of 1:26.093. However, it was not long before Verstappen reclaimed his position at the top as he crossed the line with a time of 1:25.886.

Meanwhile, Bearman was on a storming lap having set a purple middle sector. Finding improvement on his next lap, the young Briton crossed the line with a time of 1:26.005 that catapulted himself to P3. As drivers continued to improve, Hamilton was forced to pit as he was reaching dangerously close to the relegation zone. As the seven-time World Champion sat P13, Sainz crossed the line to go P8 with a time of 1:26.175. Luckily enough for Ferrari and Hamilton, the Briton was through to the next part of Qualifying.

Out in Q1: Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Stroll, Bortoleto and Lawson

Up next, Q2

15 minutes ticked down as Verstappen was the first driver back out on track. Setting off on his first push-lap in the second-part of Qualifying, Verstappen was finding improvements. He crossed the line to set the benchmark with a time of 1:25.316. However, crossing the line shortly after, Piastri set the exact same lap time as Verstappen. Despite their pace during practice, Tte Ferraris appeared to be struggling as Hamilton and Leclerc crossed the line managing P6 and P7 momentarily. Next across the line was Norris with a cleaner lap as he jumped to the top of the timings a time of 1:25.231—eight hundredths faster than Verstappen.

As the track died down, drivers who remained in the elimination zone were Yuki Tsunoda, Gasly, Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Hamilton. One again, as 5 minutes remained, the track got busy as drivers headed out on their final flying laps of Q2. Setting off his next lap, Hamilton set a blistering first sector as he crossed the line with a 1:25.084 to catapult to the top. Following behind, Leclerc crossed the line to slot into P2 with a 1:25.133. Ferrari now occupied the Top 2.

Trying to get out of the bottom five, Tsunoda managed to slot into P10 momentarily before other drivers relegated him back down. With a better lap, Antonelli executed a better to lap to slot into P8. Another stunning lap from Bearman put him into the Top 10 which brought him to the last part of Qualifying, as a time of 1:25.534 was enough for P6.

Out in Q2: Ocon, Albon, Hadjar, Tsunoda, Sainz

Final shootout for pole at Silverstone!

Q3 went underway as all 4 Brits remained for the final shootout for pole on home-soil. As the final 12 minutes ticked down, all drivers headed out on track. Since the start of Qualifying, track temperatures had risen. As Verstappen had set a purple first sector, Piastri snatched it off from the reigning World Champion. Crossing the line, Verstappen crossed the line with a 1:25.267. Shortly after, Piastri who was on a storming lap went to go on provisional pole with a 1:24.995. Next across the line, Norris crossed the line as he managed to slot into P2. However, Hamilton split the two McLaren’s as he crossed the line with a 1:25.130.

Once all drivers had set a banker lap in Q3, the track died down once more as they prepped for the final runs of Qualifying. Replayed showed Piastri running wide on his lap as he radioed back to his team to inspect his floor. Three minutes remained as the fight for pole reached its final stages. After a quiet session, George Russell managed to find some time as he slotted himself into P2 with a 1:25.010. Norris crosses the line to find improvement and claim his spot on the front row in P2 with a 1:25.010. All eyes were on Hamilton as he was on a personal best lap. However, it was only enough for P4. Meanwhile, on his final run, Verstappen was finding a lot of improvement. Denying the McLarens of a front-row lockout, Verstappen crossed the line to claim his third pole-position at Silverstone.

Although the following standings showed how drivers finished in Qualifying, Bearman’s penalty will drop him to P18. Additionally, Antonelli will fall to the lower end of the Top 10 as he carries a 3-place grid penalty from Austria into this weekend.