As predicted by the Silverstone crowd, Max Verstappen won pole and an Englishman sat next to him in the front row in the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.
But maybe that wasn’t what they expected when Lando Norris arrived within a quarter of a second of an extremely unlikely position – to be denied on Verstappen’s stormy final lap.
But second place remains Norris’ best performance on the grid since that pole position at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix and puts himself on the podium tomorrow.
Elsewhere, Sergio Perez had another ‘mare’ as Ferrari entered a completely avoidable clash.
Winner – Max Verstappen
Five straight post positions and he’s sure to land a sixth win on the bounce.
Even after all that Silverstone weather could throw at him, Max Verstappen was on top.
So far, the only thing that has stopped him in 2023 is a damaged transmission shaft, Charles Leclerc colliding with George Russell in the Azerbaijan sprint and Leclerc placing it in the Miami Qualifier.
Ideas of what might challenge him next are slim.
He’s headed for the greatest single-player season in World Championship history – and the way it’s going, no one can stop him.
What did Verstappen say?
«It was a pretty crazy Qualifier, it was quite busy and also quite slippery in some places. We did our laps in Q3 and I was quite surprised to see McLaren there – but it’s true. It’s great that they’re here, and from our side, it’s a pleasure to be at the pole.«
The Loser – Sergio Pérez
Perez deserves some sympathy for this Qualifier exit as it belongs to the team more than anything he has done himself.
Usually, when there’s a late restart in Qualifiers after a red flag, you want to get on track as soon as possible to ensure you have enough time on the board – especially when rain threatens.
So Red Bull sent Perez out early to sit at the bottom of the pit lane for nine minutes to give him the best track conditions.
Except it didn’t rain and the track sped up, meaning it was a case of ‘last man to cross the line’.
This means Perez is 16th after everyone has finished, 0.019 seconds behind Fernando Alonso.
Given the fifth race in a row missing Q3 and a ton of work to do tomorrow. If he doesn’t have bad luck, he won’t have anything. It’s just one of a number of pitfalls that drivers occasionally make on Saturdays, but Perez’s fallout is being revealed by his teammate’s constant clinging.
What did Perez say?
«Red flags lasted a lot longer than we initially thought, so in the end we had to wait longer and that’s a bit of a pity. These conditions are where I struggled the most. Conditions can Change is something we need to get ahead of when we can do better.»
Winner – McLaren
Spoke to anyone from McLaren over the weekend and the story is the same.
Yes, Austrian GP upgrades have beefed up the MCL60 but it’s a track the team has historically enjoyed and is one of Norris’ best.
Take them to the track at Silverstone and see what they really have.
And we did.
Both Norris and Oscar Piastri were session standouts with second and third places, setting the time comfortably and often within the fastest tenth or two laps of the time – even when they posted it themselves.
This gives the team a great platform to get to their first podium at home since 2010 – that should be the minimum from two-thirds above the net.
What did Norris say?
«Always Max, he always ruins things for everyone!»
The Loser – Mercedes
The sound you can hear is that Mercedes is returning firmly to earth with the awareness that the W14 is still a rather difficult machine to master.
There had been hopes that after Spain and Canada, upgrades would suit the home team but it was a stiff struggle throughout the weekend.
The car showed extreme speed in Qualifying, as evidenced by Hamilton being Verstappen’s closest rival in the first Q3 run, with the Red Bull driver being the only one to use the new Softs for the lap.
But although he found 0.5s in the second lap, the others found more and Hamilton dropped to seventh, one place behind George Russell in the sister car.
Mercedes may feel that they’re on the right track, but it’s been a long and winding road and they’re still nowhere near the top.
What did Hamilton say?
«I’m really happy because [McLaren], they’ve had such a bad time for such a long time so seeing them come back is really cool. It’s not a blow, it’s just a wake-up call for us. Others are surpassing us and we need to do more.»
Winner – Alex Albon
Third, third, and second in fact weren’t Alex Albon’s luck in that Williams.
The FW45 is a serious weapon and Sergeant Logan is on his heels too, but all the good work is almost ruined when it rains and the car looks like it needs a little more treatment than its hind legs. a donkey.
But it ran out and Albon took eighth place on the grid, edging out Alonso while Sargeant was 14th.
Boss James Vowles was quietly impressed with the Sergeant in Austria and Albon continued to deliver.
Race points were an absolute must in the team’s 799th F1 start, as they won their first win in 1979.
What did Albon say?
«It’s been a great weekend but it’s funny when you end Q3 with P8 and you’re disappointed. We have to be realistic but so far it’s been great.»
Loser – Ferrari
The confusion between Leclerc and Sainz in Q1 is completely avoidable.
If it’s Leclerc’s turn to go in the right direction first by spinning, then just get him out of the garage first and don’t drop Sainz at #55 until Leclerc’s #16 goes down the pit lane.
The fact that the SF-23 has been massively improved at high-speed corners with its recent upgrade package and the youthful Mercedes-looking team seems to have run out of steam and some of the Aston Martin magic seems to be on the way. weaken .
But as team boss Frederic Vasseur summed it up, he will settle the matter with Leclerc and Sainz over a beer.
What did Leclerc say?
«Carlos has decided to go ahead, it’s not ideal and we’ll discuss it – but it doesn’t matter so it’s no big deal.»
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