MAX AS USUAL, MCLAREN ON FRONT ROW

Max Verstappen secured pole position for the British Grand Prix just over two tenths of a second ahead of Lando Norris as the British team impressed on home soil with rookie Oscar Piastri third.

At the start of a damp Q1, Verstappen took top spot on soft slick tyres. With 10 minutes remaining, Fernando Alonso took top spot, while Charles Leclerc then bumped Verstappen to third.

With three minutes left in the session the red flags came out when Kevin Magnussen car ground to a halt just after Stowe opposite the pit entrance.

Just prior to the red flags Sergio Pérez had come into the pits for a new set of soft tyres and he had took up position at the pit exit, waiting for the green lights.

The track took some time to clear, however, and with cold tyres, Pérez was first out on track when running got underway again. First across the line, the Mexican took P1, but he was quickly beaten by Alex Albon who went half a second quicker.

And as more times came in, Pérez plummeted down the order, eventually coming to rest in P16 where he exited the session ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Nyck de Vries and Kevin Magnussen.

At the top of the order P1 was taken by Lando Norris ahead of Leclerc and the Mercedes AMG’ pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen in fifth.

At the start of the Q2 Alonso was first across the line in 1:30.660. The Aston Martin driver was swiftly beaten by the Ferraris and then by Norris. Verstappen then slotted into P2, before he was bumped to third by Pierre Gasly who went three hundredths of a second quicker.

Alonso then jumped back from P11 to retake P1, as Alex Albon took P2, a tenth behind the Spaniard, with Leclerc and Sainz Jr. moving to third and fourth. Verstappen was on another flyer though and he moved back to P1.

The track was now getting better and better and moments later Oscar Piastri took top spot, 0.003s ahead of the championship leader. Hamilton bounced Piastri out, with four minutes left and a minute later, on the ever-improving surface, Norris jumped to top spot half a second ahead of Hamilton.

With three minutes left, Verstappen, in P4, emerged for a final attempt and the Red Bull driver claimed top spot, with timw that ultimately left him 0.143s ahead of Piastri with Norris third, Albon fourth and Sainz Jr. in P5.

Eliminated at the end of Q2 were Nico Hulkenberg in P11, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Logan Sargeant and Valtteri Bottas.

In Q3, Verstappen powered to provisional pole with a lap of 1:27.084. That left him 0.633s ahead of Hamilton, with Piastri third ahead of Leclerc.

And in the final runs it initially looked like the Red Bullm driver’s opener would be enough as Leclerc could only get to within a tenth the Dutchman’s time.

Sainz Jr., too, fell short, but behind him Norris, whose scrappy opener had left him 10th, was putting together a fine lap and when the McLaren driver crossed the line he jumped ahead of Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver would not be denied a seventh pole of the season, however, and in the final seconds he crossed the line, beating Norris by 0.241s. Piastri took third place ahead of Leclerc. Sainz Jr. qualified fifth ahead of Russell and Hamilton, while Alboin finished eighth ahead of Alonso and Gasly.