Lewis Hamilton finished in second place, and George Russell secured an outstanding pole position in the British Grand Prix qualifying session. The Mercedes team then locked out the front row.
In a thrilling qualifying session at Silverstone, George Russell edged out Lewis Hamilton to claim pole position, setting a blistering lap time of 1m 25.819s. This secured him a 0.171s advantage over Hamilton, with Lando Norris completing an all-British front row by taking third place for McLaren.
Max Verstappen, hindered by a trip through the gravel at Copse, could only manage fourth in his Red Bull. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured fifth, while Nico Hulkenberg impressed by taking sixth for Haas, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Aston Martin had a better day than recent weekends, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso securing eighth and tenth positions, respectively. Williams’ Alex Albon slotted between them in ninth. However, it was a disappointing session for Charles Leclerc, who ended up in eleventh place, pushed out during Q2. Leclerc will start alongside Williams’ Logan Sargeant in twelfth, marking the American’s best qualifying performance of the year.
Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull ended in thirteenth and fifteenth respectively, with Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo between them in fourteenth.
Valtteri Bottas narrowly missed out on Q2, placing sixteenth, while Kevin Magnussen ended in seventeenth after a late-session off at Copse. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly struggled, finishing in eighteenth and twentieth. Gasly, already set to start from the back due to a penalty, was joined at the rear by Sergio Perez, who beached his Red Bull early in Q1.
Q1: Hamilton Sets the Pace, Perez Suffers Early Exit
Qualifying started under dry conditions, with intermittent rain throughout the day. Verstappen initially set the pace with a 1m 37.518s, but Hamilton took the lead with a 1m 29.547s as drivers switched to soft tyres.
A red flag for Perez’s gravel excursion caused a brief halt. As the session resumed, Verstappen and Norris were safe but finished eleventh and thirteenth, respectively. Bottas, Magnussen, Ocon, Gasly, and Perez were eliminated.
Q2: Norris Leads, Leclerc Falls Short
In Q2, Norris led early before Alonso briefly took the top spot. The session saw constant changes, with Hulkenberg setting the fastest time on a drying track. Verstappen moved up to sixth, but Leclerc was pushed out to eleventh, with Sargeant, Tsunoda, Zhou, and Ricciardo also failing to advance.
Q3: Russell Secures Pole, All-British Top Three
In Q3, Russell initially set a provisional pole time, beating Norris by a narrow margin. Hamilton then seemed poised for pole, but Russell improved to secure it with a 1m 25.819s lap. Norris took third, completing an all-British top three. Verstappen finished fourth, Piastri fifth, Hulkenberg sixth, followed by Sainz, Stroll, Albon, and Alonso.
This stunning qualifying session sets the stage for an exciting British Grand Prix, with the home crowd eagerly anticipating an all-British showdown at the front of the grid.
