The fans had come hoping for a home celebration in qualifying for the British Grand Prix, but while they were to be disappointed, there was appreciation for a masterclass from Max Verstappen to take pole position. It was a salutary reminder, were one needed, of why the defending world champion remains the most sought-after driver on the grid.
In beating the charging McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Britain’s Lando Norris into second and third, Verstappen proved once more to be the difference, his touch and precision exquisite through the sweeping, high-speed blast of Silverstone, which demands inch-perfect commitment.
It was justification writ large for all the furore around the Dutchman, whose future has dominated the discourse all week, with Mercedes once more considering poaching him away from Red Bull and they, in turn, just as anxious to hang on to their most valuable weapon.
Rumour and speculation have hung as heavy over the paddock as the looming grey clouds above the old airfield on Saturday. Neither, however, dampened the ardour with which Verstappen took to the track.
While Norris and Lewis Hamilton, who was in feisty form and very much in the mix until the final laps where he took fifth, would have stirred the hearts of the home crowd with pole, they and Piastri were denied by an imperious lap by Verstappen.
It was all the more striking given it was very much against the odds for Verstappen, who had to absolutely wring the neck of the Red Bull. He has not been particularly happy with his car here, having also struggled with its balance all season. From circuit to circuit he has dealt with its variance in performance, its wilful handling and lack of the pointy front-end he enjoys, making for a mercurial beast.
Max Verstappen during qualifying at Silverstone, where he took his first pole since Miami, six races ago. Photograph: Andrej Isaković/AFP/Getty Images
There was even more to deal with on Saturday, the team using a trimmed-back, low-downforce configuration to try to make the most of the high-speed aspect of the track and to dial out the understeer they had experienced, but this came at the expense of downforce through the corners.
“It’s also tracks that I just enjoy more,” he said. “I just like the high speeds where you have to be committed. It’s more flowing. That’s really where an F1 car comes alive. We know that on these kind of tracks, the car just comes alive a bit more.”
He had not looked to be in it on the opening runs in Q3, but last out for the decisive laps, which were fiercely contested, he had it hooked up to perfection. His time of 1min 24.892sec, a 10th up on Piastri and Norris and Mercedes’s George Russell in fourth.
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Quick Guide
Show
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1min 24.892sec
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:24.995
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:25.010
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:25.029
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:25.095
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:25.121
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes, three-place grid penalty) 1:25.374
8. Oliver Bearman (Haas, 10-place grid penalty) 1:25.471
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1:25.621
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1:25.785
Q2
11. Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1:25.746
12. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) 1:25.826
13. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) 1:25.864
14. Alex Albon (Williams) 1:25.889
15. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1:25.950
Q1
16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1:26.440
17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) 1:26.446
18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:26.504
19. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 1:26.574
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1:27.060
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Red Bull, having brought what is likely to be their final major upgrade of the season to the last race in Austria with a revision to the floor of the car they hoped would help address those balance problems, will be buoyed up that this time out they had the advantage over McLaren, at least in Verstappen hands.
Ferrari will take heart, too, their upgraded floor in Austria is also paying dividends, most notably in allowing the drivers to be comfortable from the off when the weekend begins, meaning considerably less time lost to adjusting setup and more to nailing their pace, giving Hamilton cause for optimism.
“We are making progress, there’s still more to make,” he said. “We are improving our process, the way we go about our weekends. I definitely feel like we’re punching out better results, so we’ve got to keep pushing.”
After being knocked out on the first lap in Austria by Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen is clinging on in the title fight. He is 61 points off Piastri, who is 15 in front of Norris. But the Dutchman will not be thinking of the difference. Thirteen races remain and he is focused simply on returning the best he can at each one, but if he can translate pole into a win it will be an enormous achievement given how dominant the McLarens have been. They will, as ever, expect to have a tyre advantage and be fearsome in race pace, making for a potential battle royal on Sunday.
