British drivers Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton both expressed disappointment over mistakes made during Saturday`s qualifying session at Silverstone. The home favourites came incredibly close to securing pole position but ultimately fell short.
Supported by the passionate home crowd, McLaren`s Norris and Mercedes` Hamilton were involved in a thrilling five-way battle for the top spot, which was eventually claimed by Red Bull`s Max Verstappen.
Norris finished third, just behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri currently holds a 15-point advantage over Norris in the championship standings.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 with a determined smile despite the outcome, Norris admitted, “I am gutted not to be on pole.” He felt the team`s overall pace wasn`t quite sufficient. “We just weren`t quick enough as a team,” he stated. While conceding that a perfect lap might have put him on pole, he also speculated that Max Verstappen likely had more performance available.
Norris arrived at Silverstone with significant momentum after his victory in Austria last weekend, which had reduced Piastri`s championship lead. However, this qualifying result extended Piastri`s lead over Norris in their internal team qualifying head-to-head record to 7-5.
Norris elaborated on the fine margins in qualifying: “Little margins. Little mistakes. A couple of hundredths here and there can win or lose you the game today.” Regarding his final attempt, he added, “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`s Close Call Until the Final Corner
Lewis Hamilton`s presence in the fight for pole was somewhat unexpected, especially considering Ferrari`s promising pace during practice, which marked their most competitive showing of the season so far. (Note: The original text incorrectly states Hamilton drives for Ferrari; he drives for Mercedes).
Mercedes` initial speed seemed to fluctuate, with Hamilton narrowly avoiding elimination in Q1. However, they managed to regain pace by the end of Q2, putting them back in contention.
After the first runs in Q3, Hamilton was provisionally second behind Piastri. He was even tracking a tenth ahead of Piastri`s leading time as he commenced the final sector of his last lap.
However, an error at Turn 16 proved costly, resulting in a significant loss of time. This dropped him to fifth place on the grid in a session where the top six were separated by a mere two-tenths of a second.
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.”
Despite the disappointment of not qualifying higher, Hamilton expressed satisfaction at being part of the battle. He noted, “It`s generally been a decent weekend so far.” He added, “I`m definitely feeling more comfortable with the setup and balance of the car.”
Russell “Very Happy” After Late Surge
Ultimately, the most content British driver was George Russell. He faced a challenging qualifying session initially but produced a spectacular improvement on his final run, leapfrogging Hamilton into fourth place.
The Mercedes driver finished only 0.137 seconds behind Verstappen, a remarkable turnaround given he was six tenths off the pace after his first Q3 attempt.
This result continues Russell`s strong qualifying form this season, having started in the top five in all but one of the twelve races. His only deviation was in Monaco, where he encountered a technical problem.
He commented to Sky Sports F1, “I`m very happy because we`ve been off the pace this whole weekend.”
Russell added, “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.” He concluded, “On the last lap, we really came alive, and it was mega strong. It was a good result.”
