In a wet-dry qualifying session at Silverstone, George Russell wowed his home audience by securing an impressive pole position for the British Grand Prix. Despite stiff competition from team-mate Lewis Hamilton, Russell beat him by 0.171 seconds, sealing a front row spot for Mercedes. In front of a projected 160,000-strong audience for Sunday’s race, British trio Russell, Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris dominated the top three spots.
The red Bull of current championship leader Max Verstappen could only reach fourth place, possibly due to damage from a gravel incident in Q1. The lead-up to the Formula One’s third consecutive weekend race was overshadowed by a collision between Norris and Verstappen in Austria just six days prior.
The incident in Austria presented an opportunity that Russell, the 26-year-old Englishman, exploited, securing his second career win. At Silverstone, Russell was once more triumphant, securing the pole position for his home race. Despite holding a minor advantage over Norris, he was challenged by Hamilton, who surged to the top of the order. Nonetheless, Russell claimed his pole position, leaving Hamilton without a pole since the Hungarian Grand Prix nearly a year ago. Norris failed to up his game in the final lap and finished 0.211 seconds behind.
Riding high on his achievement, Russell commented, “The car is presently performing brilliantly. It’s a pleasure to drive around this track.” He also acknowledged the energetic crowd, saying their support boosted their spirits tremendously.
Hamilton acknowledged the surprise turn of events, stating that they hadn’t anticipated being front-line this weekend. He appreciated the outstanding performance of the car. Meanwhile, Norris, who is trailing Verstappen by 81 points in the championship, expressed excitement for the subsequent race.
The Red Bull team, which has dominated the sport for the last two and a half years, seems to be on the verge of losing its dominance.
Verstappen barely entered Q2 after he slid off into the gravel at Copse, the same turn he was ran off by Hamilton in the 2021 race. His divergence off-track was met with cheers from the spectators. Nevertheless, the Dutch racer managed to get back onto the track and skillfully maneuvered his Red Bull through the ranks. However, he finished notably behind by 0.384 sec from Russell. McKinley’s Oscar Piastri ended fifth with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg unexpectedly securing sixth.
Sergio Perez, despite penning a two-year extension with Red Bull a little over a month ago, finds his future uncertain after a dismal performance, having garnered a mere 15 points in his recent five plays. Perez will only take the 19th position in the starting line following his Q1 crash. Shortly after switching from intermediates to dry tyres, he veered off at Copse, hit the wet pavement and span into the gravel. Perez requested assistance via the radio asking, “Can they move me forward? All I need is to be pushed back. There is tarmac over there.” His race engineer, Hugh Bird, conveyed that any help from the marshals would lead to his disqualification. The news left Perez out of the race and team principal Christian Horner visibly disappointed in the Red Bull pit wall.