Max Verstappen snatched pole position at the British Grand Prix with a sensational final lap, denying McLaren a home-race front-row lockout. The Red Bull driver stormed through the last moments of qualifying to put himself at the front of the grid, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The qualifying session was a nail-biting affair, with a close fight for the top spot involving Verstappen, the McLarens, and even the Ferraris. In the end, Verstappen's stunning lap of 1:24.892 was enough to secure his fourth pole position of the season. Piastri, who had been on provisional pole, will start second, with Norris in third.
Q3 witnessed teams carefully navigating the setup, with everyone pushing for a fast lap in the final minute. Norris initially came close to beating Piastri's time but missed out by a mere 0.015s, leaving Piastri on provisional pole. However, Verstappen then unleashed a blistering lap, highlighted by purple sectors, to snatch pole position.
The top five was rounded out by George Russell in fourth and Lewis Hamilton in fifth. Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, the two rookies, secured seventh and eighth, respectively. Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.
The qualifying session wasn't without incident, as Franco Colapinto spun at the final corner in Q1, leading to a brief red flag. Despite managing to get going again initially, he later stopped on the track, causing a 10-minute delay for barrier repairs and track clean-up.
Several drivers will face grid penalties for the race. Oliver Bearman received a 10-place grid drop for failing to comply with red flags in the final practice session, while Kimi Antonelli will drop three places after colliding with Verstappen in the Austrian Grand Prix.
The stage is now set for an exciting British Grand Prix. With Verstappen starting from pole and the McLarens close behind, the race promises to be a thrilling contest. Russell and Hamilton will also be looking to challenge from the second row, adding further intrigue to the event.
