There were plenty of quotes from the front-running drivers that could have provided a headline on Saturday night at Silverstone, and they were all largely on the same theme.
Qualifying for the British Grand Prix delivered a thrilling spectacle, with six drivers in the mix for pole position, a situation that was a positive surprise in itself. Heading into Q3 it felt like it could be any one of five – the two McLarens, two Ferraris and Max Verstappen – but then George Russell finally joined a party that Mercedes had been expected to be a part of all weekend, and nearly pulled off a shock right at the end.
As Russell ended up third and the McLaren pair fell short of improvements, it looked like a fairytale first Ferrari pole position was heading Lewis Hamilton’s way until Turn 16 at Vale, when the lap time just slipped away and he ended up 0.1s shy of Oscar Piastri’s provisional benchmark.
That meant it was a little bit later into Verstappen’s lap that it became clear what sort of time was unfolding, with two purple sectors having him nearly a quarter of a second up and the defending champion just holding on, to the tune of 0.103s.
“The reason why we never rule out Max is because he is Max Verstappen, and it would be extremely naive to think that Max is not in the game,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said. “I think he gave another bit of evidence today of how quick he is, how capable he is of maximizing the potential that he has available.
“We also know that in these kind of tracks, where we have high-speed, smooth circuits, Red Bull can do very well, so no surprise with Max, no surprise with Red Bull. It looks like a deserved pole position, and based on the lap times he could do on Friday – that were competitive in high fuel – it looks like he is a very serious candidate to win the British Grand Prix.”
We’ve certainly heard that before, and this isn’t just another Max Verstappen appreciation piece. It’s a thriller-in-the-making piece. Sure, it could age like milk, but right now the race has all the right ingredients to deliver us with a classic.
Less than a quarter of second between all six shows it wasn’t just Verstappen in the game, but it was anyone’s game, and that is likely to be the case on Sunday, too.
The narrow margins have a number of contenders in play, a situation that’s as fun for the drivers as the fans. Sam Bloxham/Getty Images
“It was tricky out there with the wind, through the whole qualifying – Q1, Q2, Q3,” Verstappen said of the fight for pole. “It was all shifting around a bit – a bit different. And around here with these cars, it’s extremely sensitive to it.
“So I was just trying to tidy it up throughout the whole qualifying and that final lap was good enough. But this is a proper track – in qualifying when you have to go flat out in all these corners. It’s really, really committed and that’s really enjoyable.
“We’re quite quick on the straight, which of course is not that easy in the high-speed corners to manage. But we did today, luckily. Of course, we have to wait and see what tomorrow will do, if there’s a bit of rain around and all. But I’m happy with our qualifying. It’s a big boost for the team as well. Just excited to go racing now tomorrow.”
Usually, a tight fight leads to a happy pole-sitter but those who just missed out are less enthused. Instead, even the McLaren drivers are excited about their positions in the middle of the scrap.
“I think it’s going to be fun tomorrow,” Lando Norris said. “I think it’s going to be a good battle between the three of us. Probably more, with Lewis, with Charles [Leclerc] behind, with George [Russell] as well. It’s going to be an interesting Sunday, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’s going to be a fun race,” Oscar Piastri agreed. “It’s been very evenly matched between Max, the Ferraris, I saw even George being up there at the end. So I think it’s going to be a pretty evenly paced race tomorrow, and all of have us got slightly different strengths. Red Bull is very quick in a straight line, we’re going to be quick in the high speed. So it’s going to be a fun one. That’s all. We’re going to enjoy it.”
Russell is the wild card in the pack as Mercedes was struggling to hit the heights expected of it even in cooler temperatures on Saturday, until he delivered his final Q3 lap. Whether race trim in similar conditions will provide a more competitive outing remains to be seen, but there’s also a threat of rain – as was the case last year – that could also suit the chasing cars, with Ferrari slightly higher on downforce and Mercedes winning in 2024.
“Tomorrow’s forecast is mixed, which may offer some opportunities for us,” Russell said. “We know just how changeable the weather can be here. It is also likely to be cooler and more overcast than we saw on Friday, so hopefully our long-run pace is stronger than we showed in FP2.
“Whatever the situation, I am ready to give it my all at my home race and put on a show in front of this incredible British crowd.”
Russell is in with a shot to make the massive home crowd happy, but he’s not the only one who can. Alastair Staley/Getty Images
The crowd has added to the sense of occasion in the past, with the six-figure attendance often vocal, particularly when the home drivers are performing well. If any of them are to win, they’ll have to do so from third, fourth or fifth, and get through the defending champion and the championship leader.
It will be a packed house and Verstappen has the best seat in it for lights out, but he knows just how many threats he – and the rest of the frontrunners – are likely to be facing.
“I guess naturally, I have everyone behind so I have to look behind me and see what will happen,” Verstappen said. “But for sure, I can see a proper battle. Even in the long runs, there were a lot of cars that were quick. Even in qualifying, it was all quite tight.
“Now we’re going to go racing, we’re going to have fun, and we’re going to try to do the best we can.”
