Max Verstappen on pole at Silverstone ahead of the McLarens

A five-way fight was announced after Free Practice 3: the McLaren no longer seemed alone on their pedestal, joined by Ferrari invigorated and by Max Verstappen, true to form. However, the fight finally came down to six with George Russell coming back in force at the end of the session. The Briton had to settle for fourth place behind Max Verstappen, Oscar piastri et Lando Norris despite only 0.137s off Max Verstappen's benchmark time. Oscar Piastri had set the fastest time on his first attempt, before being beaten by the Dutchman, who set a perfect lap to claim his third pole at Silverstone.

While the Scuderia had shown some very good things since the start of the weekend in line with Austria, the wind fell a little at the end of qualifying. In contention for pole position, Lewis Hamilton finally finished 5th, just two tenths behind Verstappen. Although he did better than his teammate Charles Leclerc (6th), the Briton will certainly be very disappointed after having once believed he was capable of giving great happiness to a public that loves him so much. The seven-time world champion completes a trio of British riders behind a second row composed of Lando Norris and George Russell.

Alpine from shadow to light 

The clearing of the Austrian sky was a short-lived respite for some. Liam Lawson (6th at Spielberg) and the Saubers of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, both in the points last Sunday, were eliminated in Q1 along with Lance stroll, still clearly behind Fernando Alonso (9th), and Franco Colapinto. The Argentinian missed his second attempt, spinning in the final corner. Although he was able to get back on track after hitting the wall, the former protégé of Williams had to stop a few meters later, causing a red flag. His teammate Pierre Gasly managed to reach Q2 in extremis (15th in Q1), which seemed to be the maximum his Alpine.

But the Norman is not a man to settle for so little: he brilliantly managed to secure his place in Q3 (10th), which ensures him to start 8th thanks to the penalties of Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli. The Italian will drop three positions on the grid (10th compared to his 7th fastest time) following his collision with Max Verstappen at the start of the Austrian GP. For Oliver Bearman, his blunder at the entrance to the pit lane at the end of FP3 under red flag conditions costs him a ten-place penalty: a heartbreak after having qualified in Q3 of his national event like his three compatriots George Russell, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

If the subjects of King Charles III had a full house, the French contingent was not as in good spirit: Isack Hadjar (13th) and Esteban Ocon (15th) failed to join Pierre Gasly in Q3. The Racing Bulls rookie, however, clearly regained the upper hand over Liam Lawson, who had dominated him in Spielberg.

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F1 – British GP 

The qualifying rankings