British Grand Prix – Qualifying: Surprising Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton, who was fighting for pole position, finally finished fifth. Max Verstappen was a tenth quicker. Pierre Gasly made it through to Q3.
A session that promised to be thrilling. After free practice 3, the majority of the field was within just a second, showing strong competition among everyone. With the threat of rain, stress increased as the minutes went by.
Q1
As expected, raindrops were present on the track for the start of the qualifying session. Their number was greater in the northern part of the track, towards the old start straight. Despite the significant rain factor, many drivers waited before leaving the pits.
Alex Albon was the fastest in the first group with a time of 1’26″392. He was beaten by Max Verstappen by nearly four-tenths. Oscar Piastri slightly improved by being 39 thousandths faster.
During his second attempt, Franco Colapinto lost control of his Alpine in the last corner, went through the gravel, and lightly touched the tire wall. Despite the minor impact, the Argentine was struggling to get going again: many components were moving at the rear. The red flag was brought out shortly afterward.
After the interruption, several drivers indicated that the track had lost grip, yet Max Verstappen improved by a tenth. The Dutchman maintained his mark until the end of Q1.
The eliminated: Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Stroll, Bortoleto, Lawson.
Q2
For his first attempt in Q2, Max Verstappen was half a second faster despite some delicateness with his Red Bull. His car was very unstable and he almost lost it at Beckets. Lando Norris was faster than everyone at the end of the first attempts with a 1’25″231.
The two Ferraris, which had gone out on worn tires at the start of the session, set the two best times with one minute remaining. Big surprise for Pierre Gasly who made it into Q3 with his Alpine, considering he had been nowhere all weekend.
The eliminated: Ocon, Albon, Hadjar, Tsunoda, Sainz.
Q3
Max Verstappen’s first attempt was not exceptional. The Dutchman made a mistake in the first sector, which put him three-tenths behind Oscar Piastri, who recorded a 1’24″995. Lewis Hamilton came between the two McLarens, securing second place.
While the cameras were focused on the two McLarens, Lewis Hamilton was masterful in the first two sectors before losing a tenth in the last. The Briton ultimately finished in fifth place.
Max Verstappen set the record straight in the final seconds. He put a tenth on everyone else.
