F1 British GP Live Commentary and Updates – FP3 & Qualifying

We're going to bring our live text coverage to an end there. But if you enjoyed today, then you surely won't want to miss tomorrow. Join us ahead of the race start at 15:00 BST for all the action as it unfolds from Silverstone. Thank you as always for joining us, and we'll see you again tomorrow. Until then, goodbye.

With Lewis Hamilton eager to secure his first victory since 2021, which would be a record-extending ninth British GP victory, and Lando Norris vying to bounce back strongly from his Austrian GP clash with Max Verstappen, George Russell has his work cut out to secure back-to-back victories. But the stage is set for tomorrow to be a true classic.

Plenty of news and reaction will follow on Autosport.com as we begin to look ahead to tomorrow's race. Rain is expected, so it won't be a straightforward afternoon for Mercedes despite locking out the front row. But its hopes of taking a first British GP victory since 2020 have taken a big step closer to being realised.

Both Alpines will be starting down at the back of the grid after Esteban Ocon joined Pierre Gasly (who has a 20-place grid penalty) in falling at the first hurdle. Expect Kevin Magnussen to be out to prove a point too after Nico Hulkenberg's qualifying heroics - the lead Haas will start sixth, while the Dane is back in 17th.

That was a qualifying session that had everything. But amid the drama, the driver who will be most disappointed surely is Sergio Perez, who will start from P19 tomorrow after his Q1 spin at Copse.

"At the start of the year I don't think I could have even dreamed of being on pole here," grins Russell as he downloads his qualifying to international TV.

Hamilton for his part concedes that Mercedes didn't expect a front row lockout this weekend and calls it "huge" for the team in its efforts to get back to winning ways.

Norris admits that he made a mistake on his final lap which meant he missed out on the front row.

The top 10 is rounded out by Stroll in eighth, ahead of Albon and Alonso, putting Aston Martin in a decent position to score some points tomorrow.

Piastri will perhaps be disappointed to end up fifth, 0.418s down on Russell, while Hulkenberg improved on his final lap to see off Sainz in their battle for sixth as the 2022 British GP winner didn't find any more time in his Ferrari.

Russell laps up the applause of the crowd as he clambers onto his Mercedes to pump his fists. This will be a day he'll remember for some time.

Only fourth place then for Verstappen, who perhaps was carrying some underfloor damage after his Q1 off at Copse. He was a full 0.384s down on Russell, who has kept the ball rolling after his shock Austrian GP win.

A British 1-2-3 then for the British Grand Prix. What a result for Mercedes as its engines also lock out the top three on the grid.

Verstappen moves ahead of Piastri, but it's not enough to factor in the fight for pole.

Albon improves, moving ahead of both Aston Martins briefly, before Stroll fires back ahead.

Verstappen has a big bite of opposite lock at the Loop on his final flyer. That will cost him time.

Mercedes hasn't had a pole position at Silverstone since 2020, when Lewis Hamilton won in those unforgettable circumstances on three wheels. For the last McLaren pole here, you have to go all the way back to Heikki Kovalainen in 2008.

Not a huge amount in it at the top. There's not a lot that you can do in 0.006s. 

Stroll has the better of Alonso in the intra-Aston Martin duel for eighth, while Albon is within a second but languishing at the rear of this 10-car pack.

It's shaping up to be a Mercedes versus McLaren fight for pole, unless Verstappen can get in amongst them on his second run. Hulkenberg is sixth with the lead Ferrari-powered car, the Haas driver ahead of Sainz in seventh.

So as things stand it is Russell from Norris and Hamilton in an all-British top three, ahead of Piastri and Verstappen in fifth.

A 1m27.008s is the opening gambit from Albon. What can the rest produce?

Just three teams then with both cars into Q3. If we expected that from McLaren and Mercedes, it's perhaps more of a surprise that Aston Martin progressed with both drivers after a real struggle of a weekend in Austria. Plaudits to the green team at its local track for putting on a good show.

Albon, Verstappen and Piastri are the first drivers to head out.

Just 0.288s covered the top eight runners in that frenetic end to Q2, which was briefly topped by the man who eventually tumbled to the tail end of that group, Hulkenberg. Who will be our British GP polesitter? Well, it's anyone's guess on current evidence.

Norris, Russell and Alonso will be joined in the pole shootout by Piastri, Hamilton and Verstappen, who could only muster sixth in Q2. Sainz, Hulkenberg, Albon and Stroll ensure that seven different manufacturers are represented.

At the sharp end of the grid, the omens appear positive for a British polesitter. Norris beat Russell to the top spot in Q2 by 0.164s, while Alonso was third. 

Leclerc is 11th and misses out on Q3 by 0.159s. Sargeant, Tsunoda, Zhou and Ricciardo join him in Q2 elimination.

Stroll improves, knocking out Leclerc!

Piastri improves to go second, while Leclerc goes seventh. Verstappen down to 11th now and needing to pull out a lap to get into Q3.

Up to fifth goes Albon as the track appears to be improving all the time, slotting him in ahead of Piastri. Verstappen is tenth and on the bubble.