Max Verstappen achieved an exceptional last-minute lap at Silverstone to secure pole position for the British Grand Prix, narrowly surpassing Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by just over a tenth of a second in a highly competitive qualifying session.
In Q1, Verstappen quickly set the pace with his initial soft tire lap, recording a time of 1:26.041. However, Piastri responded with a slightly faster lap, edging ahead by four hundredths. Fernando Alonso was third, followed by Norris and George Russell.
The session was temporarily halted when Franco Colapinto spun at the final corner, losing control at the entry to Vale and subsequently sliding into the gravel and contacting the barriers. He was able to restart, but with a damaged rear wing, he ultimately pulled over, bringing out the red flag with just under seven minutes remaining.
During the final runs, Piastri backed off his lap, allowing Verstappen to improve by four tenths to 1:26.002, claiming pole position ahead of the Australian. Oliver Bearman, facing a 10-place grid penalty for failing to heed red flags during FP3, posted an impressive time to qualify third, ahead of Alex Albon and Alonso.
Liam Lawson was eliminated in P16 and did not advance to Q2, finishing ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, Nico Hülkenberg, and Franco Colapinto.
In Q2, Verstappen was the first to set a time, recording 1:25.316. Piastri matched this time but was placed second due to being the earlier setter. Norris improved to take P1, just eight hundredths ahead of Verstappen.
Both Hamilton and Leclerc encountered challenges, setting their initial times on used tires and appearing at risk. In the final runs, both drivers used new tires to improve—Hamilton securing the top spot with 1:25.084, just under five hundredths ahead of Leclerc. Norris maintained fourth, and Verstappen advanced to Q3 in fourth place.
Eliminated from Q2 were Carlos Sainz (P11), Yuki Tsuoda, Isack Hadjar, Alex Albon, and Esteban Ocon.
In Q3, Piastri initially claimed provisional pole with 1:24.995, followed by Hamilton and Norris. After the first runs, Verstappen was in fourth position, nearly three-tenths behind. In the final attempts, Verstappen dramatically improved his lap time by four tenths, posting a 1:24.892 to secure his fourth pole of the season, finishing just a tenth ahead of Piastri and Norris.
Russell qualified fifth, followed by Hamilton and Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli, who has a three-place grid penalty, finished seventh, with Bearman, Alonso, and Gasly completing the top ten. Due to penalties, Antonelli and Bearman will drop positions, moving Yuki Tsuoda to P11 for the race start.
2025 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:24.892 – –
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:24.995 0.103 0.121
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:25.010 0.118 0.139
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:25.029 0.137 0.161
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:25.095 0.203 0.239
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:25.121 0.229 0.270
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:25.621 0.729 0.859
8 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:25.471 0.579 0.682
9 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:25.374 0.482 0.568
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:25.785 0.893 1.052
11 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:25.746 0.854 1.006
12 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:25.826 0.934 1.100
13 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:25.864 0.972 1.145
14 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:25.889 0.997 1.174
15 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:25.950 1.058 1.246
16 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:26.440 1.548 1.823
17 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:26.446 1.554 1.831
18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:26.504 1.612 1.899
19 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:26.574 1.682 1.981
20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:27.060 2.168 2.554
Photo/MaxVerstappen/X
