F1 British GP live commentary and updates - Qualifying
Follow all the minute-by-minute action from qualifying at F1's British Grand Prix in Silverstone
Live Standings
Summary
Live Text
Alpine had a mountain to climb yesterday and it hasn't brought upgrades unlike its direct rivals, so Gasly's top 10 slot is a real shot in the arm for team Enstone.
Also credit to Ollie Bearman, who goes through in sixth while his more experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon is out.
It's another headscratcher for Williams with both cars out. "NO! Totally different car. My bad, guys. We made it difficult for ourselves," Alex Albon laments.
Q3 starts
The top 10 shootout is upon us. Who will take pole in Silverstone? It's genuinely hard to call.
Some first reactions from drivers who dropped out early:
Lawson (P16): "I have no idea why, but it's just very sensitive and the temperature dropped today and I just had no grip starting the lap. it's frustrating because the car was quick."
Colapinto (P20): "I just lost the car on the exit. It was not an easy day for us. I just struggled a bit to find the limit in Q1. I was trying to push to get closer. Unfortunately, a little mistake and I ended qualifying there."
Piastri leads
It's a McLaren ahead for now! Piastri sets a super 1m24.995s. That's a tenth quicker than Hamilton and Norris.
Verstappen is another tenth in arrears in fourth, followed by Leclerc.
"The car is so difficult," says Verstappen, not for the first time this weekend either.
Hamilton's 2020 track record of 1m24.303s looks safe today, but the Ferrari man has a real shot at taking an eighth Silverstone pole.
How much do Norris and Verstappen have left?
Replays show Piastri took a generous serving of kerbstones on the outside of Stowe. There may be some concerns about damage to the floor. The slightest dent could cause downforce loss and with these tiny margins it doesn't take much.
2 minutes remaining
This is it. Everyone is back out for a final run, all on fresh softs.
Norris is first up, he has gone purple over the first half of the lap.
No pole for Norris, he improves but is 0.015s behind Piastri's first lap.
What about Hamilton and Verstappen?
Max Verstappen on pole
Piastri slips up and can't improve. Lewis Hamilton? No! He too loses time in the final sector.
Here comes Max Verstappen and he has gone and done it! 1m24.892s!
Simply lovely
Not quite sure how Verstappen has done that, it looked like a fight between the McLarens and the Ferraris all the way. Not the first time we've said that, is it?
"And that is simply lovely!" he says. Too right.
That's pole number 44 for the four-time world champion.
Top 10
1- Verstappen
2 - Piastri
3 - Norris
4 - Russell
5 - Hamilton
6 - Leclerc
7 - Antonelli
8 - Bearman
9 - Alonso
10 - Gasly
Also credit to George Russell. He never looked like beating the Ferraris this weekend, until he did!
Ollie Bearman grabs a superb eighth, but unfortunately that 10-place grid penalty for his FP3 infringement sees all that great work undone.
Antonelli's three-place penalty also sees him drop back, so Alonso and Gasly will be starting on the fourth row tomorrow.
Norris: Credit to Verstappen
When asked what he was lacking, Norris said: "Little things. But it was good fun. Credit to Max, he did a great job. It's going to be a good battle between the three of us, probably more with Lewis, Charles and George behind us too."
Piastri: "Last lap was messy"
"The first lap was mega, I was trying to think of how I was going to go faster and I didn't," Piastri says. "The last lap was a little bit messy, but it has been tight all weekend."
Verstappen: "Silverstone really enjoyable"
"It was tricky out there with the wind. It was shifting around a bit," polesitter Verstappen adds. "This is a proper track. You have to be really committed in these corners and that's really enjoyable. It's a big boost to the team."
On his lower downforce setup, he says: "We're quite quick on the straights, which is not that easy to manage in the high speed corners. We'll have to wait and see how that plays out in the race, if there's rain or not."
Report: Verstappen sees off McLarens for British GP pole
Here's Mark Mann-Bryans with the report from another scintillating qualifying session in F1 2025.
Silverstone never disappoints!
Frustrated Ferrari
Leclerc was slamming his steering wheel as he crossed the line. A missed opportunity for him and for Ferrari. He's behind Hamilton on the grid, which is a little morale boost for the Briton. But both will have aimed a lot higher than fifth and sixth after loooking so strong throughout.
See you tomorrow
Our reporters on the ground are diving into the mixed zone to grab reactions from all the protagonists. Will Verstappen and Red Bull have enough to keep the McLarens behind on race pace? We will get the answer tomorrow after 52 laps of Silverstone, can't wait.
You can read what everyone has to say throughout the evening on our website. As for this live blog, we are back tomorrow for the 2025 British Grand Prix. Until then!
Start: 15:00 BST (10:00 EST - 16:00 CET)
By: Filip Cleeren
