Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were both left rueing errors as the British duo came agonisingly close to delivering a home pole-sitter at Silverstone on Saturday.
McLaren’s Norris and Ferrari’s Hamilton had the support of the crowd in a thrilling five-way battle for pole that was ultimately won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Norris had to settle for third after being edged out by his team-mate Oscar Piastri, who leads the Brit by 15 points at the top of the world championship.
Norris, through a defiant smile, told Sky Sports F1: “I am (gutted not to be on pole).
“We just weren’t quick enough as a team. Would a perfect lap put us on pole? Yes. But was there probably more in Max’s lap? Yes.”
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Oscar Piastri admitted he had a scrappy final lap with Lando Norris feeling they were not quick enough having lost out to Max Verstappen on pole.
Norris arrived at Silverstone with plenty of momentum having won in Austria last weekend to reduce Piastri’s lead, but saw his qualifying head-to-head deficit with his team-mate extended to 5-7 with this result.
Norris added: “Little margins. Little mistakes. A couple of hundredths here and there can win or lose you the game today.
“My final (lap), I would have hoped to find just that little bit more. Just didn’t quite get the grip out of it in some corners, and the right balance.”
Hamilton: I had front row spot right up until the last corner
Hamilton being in contention for pole came as a surprise, with Ferrari enjoying their most competitive showing of the season to date during practice.
Their pace appeared to have disappeared as Hamilton was almost knocked out in Q1, but they rediscovered some speed at the end of Q2 to get back in the mix.
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Sky Sports F1’s Anthony Davidson analyses how Max Verstappen was able to qualify fastest for the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton was second behind Piastri after the first Q3 runs, and then up a tenth on the Australian’s then-leading time as he began the final sector of his final lap.
However, an error at Turn 16 would result in a significant loss of time, leaving him to start from fifth on the grid, with little more than two tenths of a second separating the top six.
Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “Right up until the last corner I think I was close to second on the grid.
“But I had a bit of understeer at (turn) 16 and ended up losing a tenth-and-a-bit.”
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Lewis Hamilton says it will be hard to beat the McLarens or Red Bulls but remains hopeful following qualifying at the British Grand Prix.
Despite his disappointment at not being as high on the grid as appeared possible, Hamilton was pleased to at least be in the thick of the battle.
“It’s generally been a decent weekend so far,” he added.
“I’m definitely feeling more comfortable with the set-up of the car and the balance of the car.”
Russell ‘very happy’ with late surge
The happiest Brit was ultimately George Russell, who had endured a hugely challenging qualifying before making a spectacular gain on his final run to beat Hamilton to fourth.
The Mercedes driver finished just 0.137s back from Verstappen, having been six tenths off the pace after his first Q3 run.
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Max Verstappen stormed to take pole as Lewis Hamilton only reached fifth at the British Grand Prix.
The result maintained Russell’s strong qualifying form, which has seen him start in the top five at all but one of 12 races this season, with the exception being in Monaco, where he suffered a technical failure.
He told Sky Sports F1: “I’m very happy because we’ve been off the pace this whole weekend.
“I was not expecting to be in the fight for a good position, especially with how strong the Ferraris looked. And we always know the McLarens will be there.
“On the last lap we really came alive, and it was mega strong. It was a good result.”
Sky Sports F1’s British GP schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the British Grand Prix.
Sunday July 6
8.15am: F4 Race 2
9.25am: F3 Feature Race
11am: F2 Feature Race
1.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: British GP build-up*
3pm: THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX*
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction*
6pm: Ted’s Notebook*
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Next up in the 2025 Formula 1 season is the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
