Max Verstappen starts on pole for Formula 1's British Grand Prix, with title rivals behind
Red Bull's Verstappen had struggled in practice but found extra pace in Saturday's qualifying session to take pole ahead of McLaren's Piastri and Norris, who both made small but costly mistakes.
Advertisement
It could be a hectic fight for the win with Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari all showing strong pace in qualifying, with the top six cars covered by just 0.229 of a second. There's also a chance of rain during the race, which could upend everyone's strategy.
The leading contenders are using contrasting setups which mean different strengths and weaknesses at various points on the track. Verstappen's car in particular sacrifices grip through the corners for top speed on the straights.
Piastri leads the standings by 15 points from Norris, the winner of last week's Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen a distant third, 61 points off the lead.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
The trophies this year? They're made of... LEGO!
Follow live reaction as Silverstone and the weather delivers a remarkable 12th round of the 2025 Formula One world championship Getty Images McLaren's Lando Norris won a compelling British Grand Prix in horrendous conditions at Silverstone. The damp track, falling rain, and cool temperatures brought crashes, retirements and safety car periods as the field navigated a treacherous race. It also helped deliver Nico Hulkenberg his first podium in F1 — after a record 239 races without one. Max Verstappen had started on pole but was overtaken by McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri, then spun after a safety car restart. Piastri was subsequently handed a 10-second penalty for braking too heavily under safety car conditions moments before Verstappen's spin, leaving his McLaren teammate Norris to win the race. Result: 1 NOR, 2 PIA, 3 HUL, 4 HAM, 5 VER Join the conversation: live@ GO FURTHER British Grand Prix: Hülkenberg ends F1-record podium drought, Norris wins home race Getty/Lego Say hello to the British Grand Prix trophies — made completely out of Lego! After the success of the drivers' parade in Miami where the drivers 'raced' in F1 cars built from Lego, this is the next big 'moment' for F1 and Lego in their partnership. The gold winner's trophy is made up of 2,717 pieces, weighs 2kg, and is modelled off the iconic RAC Trophy. GO FURTHER Lego built F1 trophies for the British Grand Prix. Here's how they did it Getty Images This felt pertinent given how FP3 ended yesterday — because ahead of this weekend, Oliver Bearman spoke to our own Luke Smith about his first full season in F1. There is no hiding how much any driver has to evolve once they own a seat in this sport, whether it's for a few weeks or several years. Bearman is addressing all that now, including his first home grand prix this weekend where those challenges will have only ramped up again. As Bearman told Luke: 💬 'It's certainly been a big change — more exposure, more eyes on you, more questions to answer, less time focusing on the driving. 'It's difficult to be prepared for the race weekend when a lot (beforehand) is not actually spent looking at data and stuff like that.' It's a telling conversation, and you can read it in full with the link below. GO FURTHER How life in F1 forced Ollie Bearman to evolve — as a driver and a person Looks like it was fun at the Landostand during the drivers' parade… Getty Images A key factor in Max Verstappen's pole lap yesterday was switching to a lower downforce, thinner, rear wing in his RB21 car. This made him faster down the many Silverstone straights. But while the conventional theory is that lower downforce is good for qualifying but harder on tire wear over race stints, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella reckoned that here, with softer tires compared to 2024, this actually might not be the case: 💬 'Our belief is that there is not a great relationship between the downforce level, or the way you produce lap time, and the tire wear. 'Because you will be fast in the straights, which means actually if anything you have to push a little bit less in the corners. If you rely on lap time generated in the corners, then you do have to push the corners, (where) you may stress your tires even more. 'So, it's not clear the rear wing solution that Red Bull adopted will necessarily cause a worse situation from a tire point of view.' If you're a Formula One fan — and you love a plethora of other sports too — there is no better place to follow all your other favourite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic . In soccer we've got the final stages of the Club World Cup sorted, while our tennis coverage from Wimbledon is in full flow. The Open and Ryder Cup are both on the golf agenda too. We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience. And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Patrick Iversen My view for lunch. It has not gotten drier. Puddles on the main straight. Not pouring, but you wouldn't want to walk out there with a candle. Alex Kalinauckas Look closely at this picture of a road car McLaren — the Speedtail, actually driven this weekend by Zak Brown — and you'll see some very dodgy parking (this was on Saturday). But there's also a mildly interesting story behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris parking here at all, on the edge of the middle part of the Silverstone paddock. One of McLaren's sponsors has a hotel right on the main straight at this track and the drivers have typically stayed there during the race weekend. And while they could walk across to the Silverstone Wing pit building, they chose to drive around the inner access roads of the track to wave to the fans — and show off the latest McLaren products. As with many tracks, the fans line the guard rails of these roads and this approach in the past has ensured they get a glimpse of the McLaren pair at what is a home race event for one of them. Pirelli Here are Pirelli's predicted tire strategies for the British Grand Prix — if it's a dry race! 😅 Franco Colapinto will be starting from pit lane for today's race, because Alpine changed the power unit components following his Q1 crash. During qualifying, he lost the rear of the car at the last corner, causing a spin, a trip through the gravel, and then a collision with the barriers. Getty Images Here is how we shape up on the grid for today's race — grid penalties included… 1: MAX VERSTAPPEN (RBR) > 2: Oscar Piastri (MCL) Oscar Piastri (MCL) 3: Lando Norris (MCL) Lando Norris (MCL) > 4: George Russell (MER) George Russell (MER) 5: Lewis Hamilton (FER) Lewis Hamilton (FER) > 6: Charles Leclerc (FER) Charles Leclerc (FER) 7: Fernando Alonso (AST) Fernando Alonso (AST) > 8: Pierre Gasly (ALP) Pierre Gasly (ALP) 9: Carlos Sainz (WIL) Carlos Sainz (WIL) > 10: Kimi Antonelli (MER)* Kimi Antonelli (MER)* 11: Tsunoda (RBR) / 12: Hadjar (RB) 13: Albon (WIL) / 14: Ocon (HAS) 15: Lawson (RB) / 16: Bortoleto (SAU) 17: Stroll (AST) / 18: Bearman (HAS)** 19: Hulkenberg (SAU) / 20: Colapinto (ALP) Including *3-place and **10-place grid penalty Getty Images These are the drivers who have come out on top in qualifying, with Max Verstappen closing in on Oscar Piastri — who had stated that one of his preseason goals was to improve his qualifying performance. Below is how the pole positions have been shared this season, and each driver's average qualifying position (AQP)… 1: OSCAR PIASTRI (MCL) — 4 poles / 2.17 AQP 2: Max Verstappen (RBR) — 4 poles / 3.08 3: Lando Norris (MCL) — 3 poles / 3.50 4: George Russell (MER) — 1 pole / 4.33 As for those without a pole so far in 2025… 5: Charles Leclerc (FER) — 5.67 6: Lewis Hamilton (FER) — 7.00 7: Kimi Antonelli (MER) — 8.00 8: Isack Hadjar (RB) — 10.08 9: Alex Albon (WIL) — 10.17 10: Fernando Alonso (AST) — 10.75 Getty Images So what of the qualifying patterns built up through this year — did yesterday at Silverstone signal the end for any? In short, no. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda remained the only drivers yet to outqualify their current teammate this season. Both McLaren drivers and Max Verstappen preserved their 100 percent Q3 appearance records. Ferrari is the only other team to avoid a Q1 exit so far in 2025 — although it got nervous with Lewis Hamilton in Q1 yesterday. Likewise Alex Albon, George Russell, and Isack Hadjar all continued to avoid a Q1 exit this season. As for the two current drivers yet to appear in Q3 this season, it was as you were: Nico Hulkenberg having taken part in all 12 weekends, and Franco Colapinto after just five. How many more with the Argentinian get from here? We will see. Getty Images Here is how the 2025 intra-team battles look from qualifying this season, with today's results from Silverstone and Round 12 qualifying added into the mix… Aston Martin: ALONSO ** 12-0 Stroll ** 12-0 Stroll Mercedes: RUSSELL ** 11-1 Antonelli ** 11-1 Antonelli Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN ** 10-0 Tsunoda ** 10-0 Tsunoda Ferrari: LECLERC 8-4 Hamilton ** LECLERC 8-4 ** Racing Bulls: HADJAR ** 8-2 Lawson ** 8-2 Lawson Williams: ALBON 7-5 Sainz ** ALBON 7-5 ** McLaren: PIASTRI ** 7-5 Norris ** 7-5 Norris Haas: Ocon 6-6 Bearman ** Ocon 6-6 ** Sauber: Hulkenberg 6-6 Bortoleto ** Hulkenberg 6-6 ** Alpine: GASLY ** 5-1 Colapinto ** 5-1 Colapinto Alpine: GASLY 5-1 Doohan* Red Bull: VERSTAPPEN 2-0 Lawson* Racing Bulls: Tsunoda 1-1 Hadjar* *Inactive teammate pairing; **Qualifying victor at Silverstone Getty Images Continuing with Andrea Stella, he reckoned small changes in conditions also helped Max Verstappen unleash the best of the Red Bull package when it mattered in Q3: 💬 'The gaps are very small and Max also went out for the final lap in Q3 a few minutes later or a minute later, and here there could be a slight variation of wind that can affect one tenth here and there. 'The reason why we never rule out Max is because he is Max Verstappen. It would be extremely naive to think Max is not in the game. He gave another bit of evidence today of how quick he is, how capable he is of maximizing the potential he has available. 'We also know at these tracks where we have high speed, smooth circuits, Red Bull can do very well. So no surprise with Max, no surprise with Red Bull.' Getty Images McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is always worth listening to. At his written media briefing in the Silverstone paddock last night, he explained McLaren actually thought Ferrari was the bigger pole threat after its strong practice pace. Despite his former team ultimately finishing behind the McLaren drivers and Mercedes' George Russell in Verstappen's wake in Q3, Stella said: 💬 'Looking at the lap times Ferrari has pulled off in every session, Ferrari seems to be the strongest team, probably they still are. 'It looks like the upgrades they have taken to Austria seem to have worked very well, which makes not only Silverstone interesting because of how tight the situation is at the front of the grid, but I would say also interesting for the remainder of the championship, especially with Ferrari.' It is race day at the British Grand Prix and it should be a really exciting one. It's been raining — the earlier Formula Three support race ended up getting red flagged because of it — but it's now dried out a bit. I'm seeing some patches of blue sky above me, so that hopefully means we end up with a dry race — I think Max Verstappen will be wanting that. He put in a magic lap yesterday to take pole — I just don't know how he keeps doing it, other than just pulling it out of the bag when it really matters. It's a hard task for him to defend this world title from here, but he's not going down without a fight. Oscar Piatri and Lando Norris are starting with him at the very front, and both will be looking to get a blow in against the other. Norris has got his own grandstand this weekend too. There are 11,000 fans at Stowe, which was previously one of the slowest selling grandstands at Silverstone. This year it sold out within 90 minutes. Huge demand from the Lando fans — and they've got something special planned there for the formation lap, so make sure you look out for that. The other home interest is Lewis Hamilton. He is starting P5 and said yesterday he's really happy with the progress Ferrari has made — and that without a mistake on his final lap, he probably would have been second on the grid. Hamilton has a better chance for that first podium in red, than he's had at any time so far this season. Getty Images For qualifying at Silverstone, F1 very nearly got the multi-team battle many had predicted in pre-season we would see for the whole 2025 campaign. Max Verstappen unleashed another stunning lap to claim a third pole of the year at a track where the many high-speed corners play to Red Bull's car strengths. These got even better with a floor upgrade this weekend, and helped it topple the mighty McLaren squad once again this year. McLaren was in the fight as ever, but Ferrari was also a real threat too — until Lewis Hamilton made a mistake at the final corners and lost critical time in Q3. Don't expect this every weekend from now on. McLaren should dominate at Hungary and Zandvoort either side of the summer break, thanks to the lower average speeds and longer corners of those tracks. But Silverstone and Spa could serve up different winners to the season's main trend. They did that in 2025 too. Getty Images The final free practice of the weekend appeared to back-up the promise of a Ferrari challenge at Silverstone, with Charles Leclerc quickest and Lewis Hamilton further down the order only after his final flying laps were compromised. It was a messy end to that session with a pair of red flags, and Oliver Bearman then inexplicably crashing in the pit lane entrance under those conditions. He paid a high price for that error too, with a 10-place grid penalty — scuppering an impressive qualifying performance later in the day. That was when Max Verstappen came good again. There was clear improvement in his RB21 come FP3, and confidence in his voice ahead of Q1. He then made sure his car was the last on track for the final runs in Q3, and nailed pole ahead of both McLarens and two Ferraris that appeared to lose their edge just when it mattered most. Getty Images There were a few choice takeaways from the two hours of free practice at Silverstone on Friday. Firstly, there was Lewis Hamilton topping the time sheets in FP1. You would normally take such events with a pinch of salt in the opening session of a weekend, but the apparent strength of the Ferrari this weekend was immediately being taken seriously across the paddock. More familiar service was resumed come FP2, with Lando Norris out in front and with a decent buffer to the rest of the field — including his McLaren teammate and championship leader, Oscar Piastri. However, those Ferraris were best of the rest again and while Max Verstappen continued to complain about Red Bull's performance, no one pays much attention to that these days. And once again, Saturday would be a totally different story… Page 2
Newsweek
12 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Nico Hülkenberg Claims Maiden Podium After 14-Year Drought
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg captured his first career podium at the British Grand Prix — ending his 14-year drought. In a race that featured all the drama, Hulkenberg kept his composure and took home his first podium of a long career. It took the German driver 239 races to reach a podium step. It was the longest race stretch without a podium finish in Formula 1 history. Third placed Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber on the podium with his trophy during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton,... Third placed Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber on the podium with his trophy during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England. More Photo by"I always knew, you know, we have it in us, I have it in me somewhere," Hulkenberg said after the race. "I mean, what a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. It's pretty surreal, to be honest. "Not sure how it all happened, but obviously, crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. "I think we just were really on it, the right course, the right tyres, in the right moment, made no mistakes. And, yeah, quite incredible." Hulkenberg's third-place finish wasn't reflective of the car's pace, but rather a good deal of luck that tipped the scales. However it must be said that the driver himself drove a spectacular British campaign. There were several safety cars during the race, along with changing conditions with periods of intense rain followed by a drying track. Sauber's decision-makers made the right calls in terms of strategy, and Hulkenberg did a good job of preserving his intermediate tires as well. During the last round of pit stops, Hamilton had a slow stop, which gave Hulkenberg a gap to ease off the pressure. "Yeah, I mean today I was in denial 'till probably the last pit stop," he said. "And then when I heard we gapped Lewis quite a bit with the one extra lap, I was like, OK, you know, this is good. This is some breathing space. "But then, you know, he was catching quite quickly. So, yeah, the pressure was there. It was an intense race." Despite the pressure from Hamilton in the Ferrari, Hulkenberg managed to stay ahead and showcased impressive driving on the wet track. He has been one of the fastest drivers on track several times in his career, but due to a lack of fortune, he never managed to capture the coveted podium finish. After years of quality racing, Hulkenberg's British Grand Prix finish was years in the making. British Grand Prix Race Results Lando Norris - McLaren Oscar Piastri - McLaren Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari Max Verstappen - Red Bull Pierre Gasly - Alpine Lance Stroll - Aston Martin Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin Alex Albon - Williams George Russell - Mercedes Oliver Bearman - Haas Carlos Sainz - Williams Esteban Ocon - Haas Charles Leclerc - Ferrari Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes - DNF Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls - DNF Gabriel Bortoleto - Sauber - DNF Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls - DNF Franco Colapinto - Alpine - DNF For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Oscar Piastri Outraged After Controversial Penalty Costs Him British GP Win
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. McLaren Formula One driver Oscar Piastri was hit with a ten-second penalty for braking too hard during the safety car, which caused Max Verstappen to nearly crash into him on the Hangar Straight during the British Grand Prix. This happened just as the safety car was ending. Verstappen braked hard on the wet track, but went past Piastri, who was leading the race. Caught off guard, he quickly fell back behind Piastri to maintain the original order. Piastri floored his MCL39 F1 car at that moment, prompting a hasty reaction from Verstappen. The four-time world champion spun off in the following corner while attempting to gain on Piastri, falling from second to P10. The FIA stewards handed Piastri a ten-second penalty and added two points to his superlicense for a safety car infringement, costing him the race lead. The penalty means Piastri finished in P2 at Silverstone. Speaking after the race, former driver Jenson Button told him he had never looked so upset before, to which Piastri said: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren walks in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren walks in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom."Yeah, I'm not gonna say much. I'll get myself in trouble, so well done to Nico. I think that's the highlight of the day, so... yeah, I'll leave it there." When pressed about the incident with Verstappen, the Australian driver said: "Yeah, I mean, apparently you can't brake behind the safety car anymore. I mean, I did it for five laps before that and... again, I'm not gonna say too much 'cause I'll get myself in trouble. But thanks to the crowd for a great event. Thanks for sticking through the weather. I still like Silverstone even if I don't like it today, so thanks for coming out." Piastri's teammate Lando Norris went on to win his home race at Silverstone for the first time, marking an emotional moment. Nico Hulkenberg, who made his full-time F1 debut in 2010, secured his first podium finish today, finishing behind Piastri in third. Following the victory, Norris, who is second in the Drivers' Championship with 226 points, is just eight points adrift of championship leader Piastri with 234 points. 2025 British Grand Prix Race Results 1. Lando Norris | McLaren 2. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +6.812s 3. Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +27.930s 4. Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +5.070s 5. Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +16.969 6. Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +3.076 7. Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.746 8. Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +3.532 9. Alex Albon | Williams | +1.723 10. George Russell | Mercedes | +4.816 11. Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.421 12. Carlos Sainz | Williams | +4.497 13. Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.709 14. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +7.176 15. Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +1 lap 16. Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | DNF 17. Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | DNF 18. Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | DNF 19. Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | DNF 20. Franco Colapinto | Alpine | DNS
