British Grand Prix: Max Verstappen Poles As Lando Norris Makes Front Row In Third At Silverstone

 

Lando Norris missed the chance to make the pole for McLaren on home soil at Silverstone as Max Verstappen pipped his rivals to claim the pole for the fourth time this season. 

The quality session was fiercely contested in Q3, with Oscar Piastri in provisional pole before losing it. Lewis Hamilton attempted to split the McLaren apart in his first run before Verstappen leapfrogged to the front row after Piastri failed to improve his time in his second run. 

"That final lap was good enough," Verstappen recalled. "This is a proper track when you have to go flat out. You have to be really committed, and it's really enjoyable." 

Verstappen clinched the pole in 0.103s quicker than Piastri, who ran over the curb in the final corner in his second try and could not improve on his time. Consequently, Norris dropped to third behind his teammate. The home favourite, Norris, has neither pole nor won a race at Silverstone in his career. 

Meanwhile, the session was dramatic from the start, with Franco Colapinto running off track and spinning off into the gravel. Eventually, the Alpine later did not make it past Q1. Verstappen dominated Q1 and Hamilton dominated Q2. It has been a challenging weekend for the McLaren duo, even at the final practice session, Charles Leclerc dominated the FP3 and Piastri in second. 

Last weekend, Verstappen had a disappointing race at the Austrian Grand Prix following a collision that ended his race abruptly. Norris led on to win in a McLaren one-two finish and his third victory this season.