Max Verstappen starts the Grand Prix of Great Britain on Sunday from second place. The Dutchman had to tolerate Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in the rainy qualifying at Silverstone. It was the Spaniard’s first pole position.
The 24-year-old Verstappen just did not have enough at 1.41.055 to get the first starting spot. The Red Bull Racing driver, who beautifully avoided a crash in Q3 after a big spin, saw Sainz take pole with a time of 1.40.983.
Charles Leclerc was third, three tenths behind his teammate (1.41,298). In his last attempt, the Monegask spun. Just before qualifying it started to rain and it didn’t stop during the session.
At the front it was always changing, especially between the Ferrari drivers and Verstappen. In the final phase, Sainz in particular came out strongly and his last attempt was unbeatable by anyone.
The two Mercedes drivers ultimately did not get involved. Lewis Hamilton was fifth, one second behind Sainz. George Russell got no further than eighth on the grid. Their compatriot Lando Norris finished sixth in the McLaren.
Great Britain Grand Prix Qualifying Top Ten
- 1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 1.40.983
- 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 1.41.055
- 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1.41.298
- 4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) – 1.41.616
- 5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1.41.995
- 6. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1.42.084
- 7. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) – 1.42.116
- 8. George Russell (Mercedes) – 1.42.161
- 9. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) – 1.42.719
- 10. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) – 2.03,095
Zhou and Latifi show their best side
Zhou Guanyu had a strong performance in the Alfa Romeo. The Chinese debutant qualified ninth, which was one place better than his best starting place to date. That was the tenth starting spot in Canada. It was now for Nicholas Latifi. The Canadian surprisingly took tenth starting place in the Williams.
Latifi took advantage of the circumstances. The moment he had set the tenth fastest time, it started to rain harder. Nobody managed to improve after that, which was bad news for Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon. The five did not manage to finish in the top ten.
Qualifying came to an end after Q1 for Sebastian Vettel. Just like two weeks ago in Canada, the German was not fast enough on a wet track. It was already the fourth time this season that the Aston Martin driver got stuck in the first qualifying part. Also for Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Kevin Magnussen and Alexander Albon qualifying was over after the first session.
The Grand Prix of Great Britain starts on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Silverstone. Verstappen defends a 49-point lead over number three Charles Leclerc in the World Cup position. Verstappen’s teammate Pérez has three points more than Leclerc.