Silverstone roared when Lando Norris shot to the top of the timesheets in the final seconds of British Grand Prix qualifying – and groaned a few seconds later when Max Verstappen spoiled his party.
The Red Bull racer is a worthy pole-sitter with an impressive final flying lap to put himself in prime position for a sixth-straight Formula 1 victory. But there was no doubt that Norris was the hero of the hour.
And it was double delight for McLaren who also had Oscar Piastri qualify in the top three. After a dismal start to the season for the team, their upgrades over the last two weeks seems to have brought them right into the scrap for second place behind Red Bull.
Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified fourth and fifth, while Lewis Hamilton could only manage a seventh place finish, one place behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell in sixth. Hamilton was second after Q2 following a problematic first qualifying period. But it was Norris who emerged as the fastest Brit on his home track.
Verstappen had a minor issue of his own, crashing his Red Bull into the pit lane during Q1 and causing some damage to the front wing, though it barely knocked the Dutchman off his stride. The same can't be said for team-mate Sergio Perez, who endured a nightmare qualifying to go out after Q1 and will start 16th on the grid.
No driver has won the British Grand Prix on more occasions than Hamilton, with the 38-year-old winning seven of the last 10 races staged here. But the Mercedes man will be disappointed to start only seventh, half-a-second off the pace, in front of his home fans.
Perez’s dismal run of form continued after he was eliminated from the opening phase of qualifying. The Mexican was first out of the pits when the action resumed following a red flag to clear Kevin Magnussen’s Haas.
Perez momentarily headed to the top of the order, but the evolution of the track saw him tumble all the way down to 16th when Q1 came to an end. It marked the fifth consecutive race in which Perez has failed to make it into Q3 in a machine Hamilton described as the fastest Formula One has ever seen.
Perez’s early exit capped a frantic few minutes which saw Verstappen and Hamilton dice for position on a piece of asphalt now named after Britain’s seven-time world champion. Verstappen fought his way ahead of Hamilton, with the latter almost colliding with the Alpine of Pierre Gasly in the mad scramble to post a lap before the chequered flag fell.
Prior to that, Verstappen required a new front wing after he grazed the wall along the pits just moments after he left his garage. And even earlier Hamilton survived a spin through the gravel when he lost his control of his Mercedes on the entry to Stowe.
Despite the threat of action from Just Stop Oil protesters, qualifying passed off without incident. However, F1 bosses, Silverstone and Northamptonshire Police remain on high alert that a protest could yet disrupt Sunday’s 52-lap race where 150,000 spectators are expected to attend.
Security has been beefed up, with facial recognition cameras posted around the 3.66 mile track in a move to foil a potential plot.
