Sunday`s British Grand Prix at Silverstone is shaping up to be an unpredictable battle for victory, with top drivers and teams employing varying strategies and car setups.
Following McLaren`s dominant performance in Austria just a week prior, the fight for the lead at Silverstone appears much closer. Ferrari and Red Bull have mounted a strong challenge to the championship-leading team.
Qualifying delivered a thrilling five-car battle for pole position. Red Bull`s Max Verstappen ultimately secured the top spot with a brilliant final lap under pressure, while competitors were left ruing minor, costly errors.
Verstappen will start from pole position, sharing the front row with championship leader Oscar Piastri. Piastri`s McLaren teammate and main title rival, Lando Norris, qualified third.
Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc initially seemed strong contenders for the front row after a promising start to the weekend for the Scuderia. However, they dropped back to the third row, behind George Russell, whose impressive late lap boosted Mercedes after a comparatively quiet start to the event for the Silver Arrows.
The intense competition is underscored by the fact that the top six qualifiers were separated by a mere two tenths of a second.
Verstappen, who opted for a different car setup after struggling on Friday, anticipates the race to be equally close over the full 52-lap distance.
The four-time world champion, who trails Piastri by 61 points, predicted “a proper battle”.
He commented on the varied performance across teams: “Even in the long runs there were a lot of cars that were quick and even in qualifying it was all quite tight. Quite different lap time gains, some quick in the straights, some quick in the corners. I think it`s who can keep their tyres alive in the stint.”
“In the race runs we struggled a bit more on tyre life and I don`t know how that will be,” he added.
Verstappen also mentioned the weather uncertainty: “We also have to wait and see how the weather will be in general if there some rain or nice. The straight-line speed is nice to have, but you still need to manage the tyres around here because it`s very tough with all these high-speed corners.”
Despite the championship gap, he stated, “I`m looking forward to it. I`m not really in a battle, so just try to have fun and get the best possible result.”
Different Strengths: Who Has the Winning Setup?
This weekend isn`t the first time Verstappen and Red Bull have managed to find competitive form just in time for qualifying, after struggling with their RB21 car during Friday practice.
To counteract the understeer they experienced, Red Bull chose a lower-downforce setup. This strategy has made Verstappen remarkably fast on Silverstone`s straights.
However, such an approach typically involves a trade-off.
Verstappen`s car might be slower than the McLarens and Ferraris in certain high-speed corners, where maximum downforce is crucial. It could also be more susceptible to tire wear during the Grand Prix compared to cars running higher downforce settings.
Verstappen noted the differing strengths: “What is quite interesting is that Ferrari is incredibly quick in the corners, but slower on the straight, McLaren is in the middle overall and we are incredibly quick on the straight but slow in the corners.”
He concluded, “It can be quite interesting with how everything will work out. I hope for an exciting race between a lot of teams.”
After being beaten to pole by their main rival, the McLaren drivers are hoping race conditions will ultimately favour their setup.
Lando Norris, who trails Piastri by 15 points in the championship, admitted uncertainty: “It`s hard, honestly, to know until you get behind and you have the dirty air and DRS and things like that.”
He added, “To be honest, at the minute, our DRS speed probably just about matches Max`s speed. So, I think it`ll be tough because we`ll probably catch him in the high speed, but we just won`t really close much when we open the DRS.”
Despite the challenge, he sees potential: “I think it can be tough, but there`s also probably more opportunities than a normal race… between everyone, we`re fast and slow in different places.”
Piastri told Sky Sports F1 that he sees “a few opportunities” to win, highlighting the start and the difference in downforce levels compared to Verstappen`s car.
He also mentioned tire management: “Also, the tyres. Yesterday they were tricky to look after, so we`ll see what kind of challenges they bring. I think there will be a few opportunities.”
Piastri noted the complexity: “It`s also been interesting with other teams, it`s not always just been the higher the downforce you have the quicker you are in all the corners. Some of the corners we`re still slower than the Red Bull and Max. So, it`s not that straightforward, but I think it`s going to be an interesting thing to see tomorrow.”
Hamilton and Ferrari`s Chances
Lewis Hamilton believes a moment of understeer on the final corner of his final qualifying lap prevented him from taking second place. Silverstone is a strong track for him, with 12 consecutive podium finishes.
The seven-time champion topped Friday`s first practice session and likely would have repeated this on Saturday morning if not for a red flag caused by Franco Colapinto`s crash.
Describing his weekend in the Ferrari as “decent,” he hopes the home crowd support and potential for rain could help him win at Silverstone for the second consecutive year.
He told Sky Sports F1, “I think it will be very, very hard to beat the McLarens or the Red Bulls but when there is a will there is a way.”
“I`ll give it absolutely everything tomorrow,” he added. “We are a little bit far behind where I want to be, but with the weather and this amazing crowd…”
The Weather Factor
Rain is forecast for Silverstone on Sunday, which could benefit George Russell. He qualified a surprising fourth in his Mercedes, a car that has reportedly struggled in warmer conditions.
Russell commented, “I think recent form shows we`re probably not going to be the strongest in the race pace, but it`s looking a bit cooler and that`s good news for us.”
Norris believes both Ferrari and Mercedes could become strong contenders if it rains.
“I expect everyone [to challenge], probably more so the Ferraris because they`re the highest downforce of the lot,” Norris stated.
He continued, “Their high-speed performance is pretty impressive and a good step better than ours even. So, I would probably more likely say Ferrari, but I just wouldn`t rule out the Mercedes as well. I think they`re quick.”
Piastri also acknowledged the potential for rain, joking, “Of course, we are in England so the weather is never far away.” He sees it as another factor that could provide opportunities to challenge Verstappen.
The race itself promises to be as unpredictable as the British weather, making it a must-watch event.
