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Max Verstappen stunts everyone with British GP pole position
Max Verstappen pulled off another surprise by taking pole position for the British Grand Prix, edging out Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
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Q1
Qualifying at Silverstone started with high expectations after three different drivers had led the practice sessions. Gabriel Bortoleto was first out on track in his repaired Sauber following a crash in FP3. The weather looked dry, but Pierre Gasly reported a bit of drizzle on his out lap.
Oscar Piastri set the early pace with a time of 1 minute 26.002 seconds, just ahead of Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. With just over eight minutes remaining, Franco Colapinto lost control at the final corner and spun into the barriers. Although he got the car moving again, he had to stop near the pit exit, which brought out the red flag so marshals could recover the car safely.
When the session restarted, drivers had just under seven minutes left to improve. Alex Albon jumped to third, while Verstappen and Piastri continued trading places at the top. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both in danger, sitting outside the top ten, but Leclerc moved up to ninth just in time. Hamilton managed to stay in 14th despite being told he didn’t have enough fuel for another lap.
At the end of Q1, five drivers were knocked out. Liam Lawson missed out in 16th, followed by Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg and Colapinto, who was unable to continue after his crash.
Here's the moment Colapinto went off 🎥#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/SZRKRBPhJ2
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2025
Q2
Q2 began with Verstappen leading the way and quickly setting the fastest time of the session. Oscar Piastri matched his time exactly, but Verstappen stayed ahead because he had set it first. Lando Norris then thrilled the home fans by beating both of them with a lap that was 0.085 seconds quicker.
Further back, several big names were in trouble. Hamilton, Leclerc, Antonelli, Gasly and Tsunoda were all at risk after running used tyres on their first attempts. Fernando Alonso was unhappy after being held up by a slow-moving Kimi Antonelli and said over the radio that he expected a penalty for the Mercedes rookie.
With fresh tyres on for their final runs, the order quickly changed. Leclerc briefly went to the top, but Hamilton came through with a strong lap of 1 minute 25.084 seconds to lead the session. Tsunoda made it up to tenth but was knocked down to twelfth after others improved their times.
Both Williams drivers were eliminated, with Carlos Sainz just missing the cut in eleventh and Albon finishing fourteenth. Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon also went out in thirteenth and fifteenth, bringing disappointment for Red Bull’s junior team and Alpine.
Q3
Q3 featured ten drivers battling for pole position: two from Ferrari, two from McLaren, two from Mercedes, and four others including Verstappen, Alonso, Gasly and Bearman. Oliver Bearman was already set to drop down the grid due to a penalty for a red flag incident in practice, and Antonelli also carried a three-place grid drop from Austria.
Oscar Piastri was the first to go fastest with a lap of 1 minute 24.995 seconds. Lewis Hamilton followed closely, just over a tenth slower. Lando Norris was third, with Verstappen and Leclerc behind them.
As the final runs began, everyone prepared for one last shot at pole. Piastri looked like he might improve, but a small mistake on his lap cost him time. Norris, Hamilton and Leclerc were also unable to go faster. Verstappen, however, delivered a brilliant final lap of 1 minute 24.892 seconds to take pole position.
He finished just 0.103 seconds ahead of Piastri in second, while Norris had to settle for third. George Russell put in a strong final lap to take fourth, pushing Hamilton and Leclerc down to fifth and sixth. Antonelli was seventh but will drop three places due to his penalty. Bearman set the eighth fastest time, but with his ten-place penalty, he too will start further back. Alonso and Gasly completed the top ten.
When it mattered, Max delivered 💪
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2025
What a lap! #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/aKvcNeCheH
