Leclerc gives Sainz pole, but Verstappen is favorite at Silverstone | NOW

The yellow flag in the final phase of Q3 meant that Verstappen had to get off the gas for a while. In doing so, the Dutchman lost four tenths, which would have been enough to keep Carlos Sainz from his first pole position. It was precisely Charles Leclerc who caused the yellow flag by spinning. For example, one Ferrari driver unconsciously helped the other a little.

Despite the second place on the grid, Verstappen looked forward to the race with confidence. As usual this season, the World Cup leader is counting on a strong Ferrari. “I think they still have something left on the engine, so it will be close again,” predicted the Limburger.

Confidence was also high at Ferrari. “Normally the speed is good, so if everything goes smoothly we’ll be in the front,” said Leclerc. The question is whether things are going so smoothly with the Italians. Stays on a dry track porposing a problem for the Ferrari. Slow images clearly showed how the Ferrari was bouncing through, for example, the lightning-fast Copse bend. Even at Mercedes things are going better this weekend.

Smart Verstappen quickly makes mincemeat of timid Sainz

Another potential problem is Sainz himself. As Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton showed last season (until Copse), there is good dueling in the opening round at Silverstone.

The chance that the often somewhat timid Spaniard will hold out against the shrewd reigning world champion is very small. With a good start, Verstappen normally makes mincemeat of his former teammate.

Leclerc is different, and despite praise for ‘Carlos’, the Monegask obviously wants to pass his teammate as quickly as possible. He should be fighting Verstappen, not Sainz. “I would like it for him if he wins, but I prefer to win myself. I don’t mind that,” said the number three in the World Cup position on Saturday.

Leclerc always does well at Silverstone

The Ferrari leader can also present excellent papers at Silverstone. Last year he almost won the race after taking the lead after ‘the incident’ between Verstappen and Hamilton and seeing Hamilton pay another time penalty.

That had been a monster win for Leclerc, with a Ferrari that was really too slow to win on its own. A year earlier, he finished third in a car for which they still get the shame in Maranello.

And in 2019, Leclerc fought a memorable battle with the current World Cup leader. If British fans want to be entertained in between the booing of Verstappen on Sunday, they should hope for a repeat of that game. Can Ferrari threaten Verstappen, that is usually done by Leclerc.

Ferrari tangled with adjustment

But the Dutchman showed in the third free practice that his pace on dry asphalt is excellent. He was four tenths off the field, an impressive difference.

“The balance felt good on dry asphalt,” he stated coolly after qualifying. “Verstappen was very fast in the third training”, Leclerc had also seen. “We still have some margin. But I think that also applies to Red Bull.”

Sainz then explained that Ferrari had become confused with the set-up after everything had gone well in the second free practice. “We made some changes after that and I did feel an improvement in qualifying.”

Mercedes must first show that the pace can follow

And what about Mercedes? “I think they will go a bit better in the race than in qualifying,” Verstappen expected. Hamiton qualified fifth and George Russell eighth. “That was a bit disappointing after the good pace in qualifying,” said team boss Toto Wolff.

Local hero Hamilton himself gave the answer about the opportunities: “We are there qua race pace not miles away,” said the seven-time world champion. The car does indeed go smoothly on the smooth tarmac in Silverstone, but proof that the Mercedes can really keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull must first be delivered.

“Not miles” still means they’re slower, and dropping two tenths of each of the 52 laps still makes it impossible to win. Podium opportunities are on the horizon again, if Ferraris or Red Bulls (or both) do not make it to the finish. And that happens regularly these days.

The Grand Prix of Great Britain starts on Sunday at 4 p.m. (Dutch time).