Max Verstappen has secured victory in two races thus far in the 2025 season.

British Grand Prix

Venue: Silverstone Date: 6 July Race start: 15:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

In a dramatic qualifying session, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen snatched pole position from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the British Grand Prix with a blistering final lap.

Verstappen’s decisive lap edged out Piastri by a mere 0.103 seconds. McLaren’s Lando Norris followed closely behind, registering a time just 0.015 seconds adrift, while Mercedes’ George Russell secured fourth, trailing by an additional 0.019 seconds.

Lewis Hamilton, who initially positioned himself as the second quickest behind Piastri during the first runs of final qualifying, ultimately settled for fifth. He finished just ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Briton Oliver Bearman showcased a commendable performance, securing eighth place for Haas. However, he faces a grid penalty, relegating him to 18th due to a 10-place sanction for speeding under red-flag conditions during practice, which resulted in a pit lane collision.

This penalty elevates Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin from ninth. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Despite a relatively subdued lead-up to qualifying, Verstappen ultimately emerged as the fastest, capitalizing on a track that, theoretically, aligns with the strengths of the Red Bull car – particularly its prowess in the high-speed corners that characterize Silverstone.

“It was tricky with the wind throughout all qualifying,” Verstappen remarked. “It was shifting around a bit. And around here with these cars it is extremely sensitive to it.”

“The final lap was good enough. This is a proper track, you have to be really committed in the high-speed corners.”

Choose your most memorable British Grand Prix

Verstappen acknowledged the “significant commitment” required in the high-speed corners, attributing it to the team’s chosen low-downforce setup, which rendered the car more challenging in those demanding sections.

Piastri, who topped the charts after the initial qualifying laps, couldn’t improve on his second attempt, hampered by a couple of rear-end slides exiting the final corner, Club.

“I was happy with the first lap. It was mega, to be honest,” the championship leader commented. “I was trying to think of how I would go faster and I didn’t.”

“The second lap was a bit messy but it has been tight all weekend; a little on the table, but we’ll never know if it’s enough.”

Norris, trailing Piastri by 15 points as they approach the season’s halfway mark, stated: “Good qualifying. I am not going to be unhappy with third, would love to be pole but Max did a good job, a fun qualifying today. Not the top but still a good day.”

“It’s going to be fun tomorrow, a good fight, with the three of us, and probably with Lewis and Charles and George as well.”

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Max Verstappen has secured victories in two races thus far in the 2025 season.

British Grand Prix

Venue: Silverstone Date: 6 July Race start: 15:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen clinched pole position at the British Grand Prix, narrowly edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with a decisive final qualifying lap.

Verstappen’s performance placed him just 0.103 seconds ahead of Piastri, while McLaren’s Lando Norris trailed closely behind, a mere 0.015 seconds adrift in third. Mercedes’ George Russell secured fourth, finishing just 0.019 seconds behind Norris.

Lewis Hamilton, initially positioned second fastest behind Piastri after the first qualifying runs, ultimately concluded in fifth place, followed closely by his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc.

British driver Oliver Bearman delivered an impressive eighth-place finish for Haas. However, he will face a grid penalty, relegating him to 18th due to a 10-place sanction for a practice incident involving excessive speed under red-flag conditions, resulting in a pit lane crash.

This penalty promotes Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin from ninth position. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.

Despite a relatively understated lead-up to qualifying, Verstappen ultimately secured the fastest time on a track theoretically well-suited to the Red Bull, which excels in the high-speed corners characteristic of Silverstone.

Verstappen noted, “The wind made things tricky throughout qualifying, shifting around a bit. And around here with these cars, it’s extremely sensitive to it.”

“The final lap was good enough. This is a proper track, and you have to be really committed in the high-speed corners.”

Choose your most memorable British Grand Prix

Verstappen acknowledged that the team’s low-downforce setup necessitated significant commitment in the high-speed corners, resulting in a car that felt somewhat on edge.

Piastri initially led after the first qualifying laps but couldn’t improve on his second attempt, partly due to slides out of the final corner, Club.

The championship leader remarked, “I was happy with the first lap. It was mega, to be honest. I was trying to think of how I would go faster and I didn’t.”

“The second lap was a bit messy, but it has been tight all weekend; a little on the table, but we’ll never know if it’s enough.”

Norris, trailing Piastri by 15 points heading into the race, which marks the season’s halfway point, stated, “Good qualifying. I am not going to be unhappy with third, would love to be pole but Max did a good job, a fun qualifying today. Not the top but still a good day.”

“It’s going to be fun tomorrow, a good fight, with the three of us, and probably with Lewis and Charles and George as well.”

This video can not be played

I used to get signatures on my helmet – Norris’ favourite Silverstone memories

How to follow British Grand Prix on the BBC

Classic British Grand Prix images through the years

How Sainz has helped raise Albon’s image

Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questions

British Grand Prix Preview

Comments can not be loaded

To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser

Max Verstappen has secured two victories thus far in the 2025 season.

British Grand Prix

Venue: Silverstone Date: July 6 Race start: 15:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Live; real-time updates on BBC Sport website and app

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen clinched pole position at the British Grand Prix, narrowly outpacing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with a decisive final qualifying lap.

Verstappen’s time was just 0.103 seconds faster than Piastri’s, while McLaren’s Lando Norris followed closely behind, a mere 0.015 seconds adrift in third. Mercedes’ George Russell secured fourth, trailing by an additional 0.019 seconds.

Lewis Hamilton, who initially held the second-fastest time behind Piastri after the first qualifying runs, ultimately finished fifth, just ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Briton Oliver Bearman delivered an impressive eighth-place performance for Haas, though he faces a grid penalty, relegating him to 18th due to a 10-place sanction for exceeding speed limits under red-flag conditions during practice, an incident involving a pit lane crash.

This penalty elevates Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin from ninth. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Despite a relatively subdued lead-up to qualifying, Verstappen showcased his prowess, securing the fastest time on a circuit theoretically well-suited to the Red Bull car, known for its strength in high-speed corners, a prominent feature of the Silverstone track.

Verstappen noted, “Qualifying was challenging due to the shifting wind conditions, which significantly affect these cars. The final lap proved sufficient. This is a demanding track requiring full commitment in the high-speed sections.”

Choose your most memorable British Grand Prix

Verstappen emphasized the “significant commitment” required in high-speed corners, attributing it to the team’s low-downforce setup, which made the car more sensitive in these challenging sections.

Piastri initially set the pace after the first qualifying laps but couldn’t improve on his second attempt, partly due to minor slides out of the final corner, Club.

The championship leader remarked, “I was pleased with the initial lap; it felt exceptional. I tried to find more speed, but it wasn’t there. The second lap was a bit untidy, but it’s been close all weekend. We left a little on the table, but whether it would have been enough, we’ll never know.”

Norris, trailing Piastri by 15 points as they approach the season’s midpoint, commented, “It was a good qualifying session. I’m content with third place, though pole would have been ideal. Max did a great job. It was a fun qualifying session today. Not the best, but a good day overall.

“Tomorrow should be exciting with a good battle between the three of us, and likely Lewis, Charles, and George as well.”

This video can not be played

I used to get signatures on my helmet – Norris’ favourite Silverstone memories

How to follow British Grand Prix on the BBC

Classic British Grand Prix images through the years

How Sainz has helped raise Albon’s image

Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questions

British Grand Prix Preview

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