In a dramatic turn of events at Silverstone, George Russell secured pole position for the British Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes 1-2.
The one-hour qualifying session was a rollercoaster. It began with Max Verstappen setting the early pace on intermediates with a time of 1:37.518. However, as the track dried, Lewis Hamilton clocked in at 1:37.134. Then, chaos ensued—Sergio Perez spun off at Copse, forcing a red flag with about 7 minutes left.
Once the session restarted, everyone switched to slicks. Verstappen encountered trouble but managed to keep his car on track. Oscar Piastri shone brightly, initially leading with 1:30.895. As conditions fluctuated, Hamilton took the lead briefly with 1:29.547, but Russell and the Ferraris were close on his tail.
The usual suspects made their exit: Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Esteban Ocon, Perez, and Pierre Gasly didn’t make it past Q1, with Hamilton emerging as the fastest, followed by Russell.
Q2 saw Piastri setting the early benchmark at 1:26.945, but Lando Norris clinched the top spot later with 1:26.559. This round was unforgiving for Charles Leclerc, Logan Sargeant, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, and Daniel Ricciardo, who were all knocked out.
Russell started strong in Q3 with an initial lap time of 1:26.024, just ahead of Norris. Hamilton temporarily claimed provisional pole with 1:25.990, but Russell fired back with a blistering 1:25.819. Norris had to settle for third due to an error on his final lap.
Rounding out the top ten were Verstappen in fourth, Piastri fifth, Nico Hulkenberg sixth, Carlos Sainz seventh, Lance Stroll eighth, Alex Albon ninth, and Fernando Alonso tenth.
Russell’s pole position is particularly sweet, given the challenging conditions and fierce competition. He has set a high bar for the race ahead.
As the grid lines up for the British Grand Prix, all eyes will be on George Russell and his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton. With Lando Norris lurking in third, it’s shaping up to be an unforgettable race.
Source: Motorsport
