British drivers Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris both lamented mistakes during qualifying for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Saturday, which saw them narrowly miss out on securing pole position at their home race. Red Bull`s Max Verstappen ultimately clinched the top spot amidst a thrilling five-way battle.
McLaren`s Lando Norris qualified third, placing just behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, who starts from second. Despite his disappointment, Norris managed a smile as he reflected, admitting they “just weren`t quick enough as a team.” He also felt a perfect lap *could* have put them on pole, but acknowledged Verstappen likely had more pace too.
Norris, who recently won in Austria, saw his qualifying record against Piastri shift to 5-7. He highlighted the fine margins: “Little margins. Little mistakes. A couple of hundredths here and there can win or lose you the game today.” He felt he couldn`t extract the absolute maximum grip and balance on his final run.
For Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, being in contention for pole was somewhat unexpected after Ferrari`s practice pace seemed inconsistent. Although they struggled early in Q1, they found improved speed by the end of Q2.
Hamilton was provisionally second after his first Q3 lap and was even a tenth up on Piastri`s leading time entering the final sector of his last attempt. However, an error at Turn 16 proved costly, causing him to lose significant time and qualify fifth. Only a little over two tenths of a second separated the top six drivers.
Hamilton commented, “Right up until the last corner I think I was close to second on the grid. But I had a bit of understeer at (turn) 16 and ended up losing a tenth-and-a-bit.” Despite missing the front row, he was happy to be competitive, saying, “It`s generally been a decent weekend so far. I`m definitely feeling more comfortable with the set-up of the car and the balance of the car.”
The most satisfied British driver was arguably George Russell. The Mercedes driver had a difficult qualifying session initially but delivered a spectacular final lap improvement to snatch fourth place, just 0.137 seconds behind Verstappen and ahead of his teammate Hamilton.
This result continues Russell`s strong qualifying form, having started in the top five in all but one race this season. He expressed his happiness, stating, “I`m very happy because we`ve been off the pace this whole weekend. I was not expecting to be in the fight for a good position, especially with how strong the Ferraris looked. And we always know the McLarens will be there. On the last lap we really came alive, and it was mega strong. It was a good result.”
Marcus Prine