F1 British GP live updates: Max Verstappen steals pole from McLaren, Ferrari in Silverstone qualifying – The New York Times

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Updated 6s ago
Max Verstappen put in another stunning late lap to pinch pole position for tomorrow’s 2025 Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The four-time defending champion was last over the line in 1:24.892, with his Red Bull pipping championship leader Oscar Piastri by a tenth of a second. The second McLaren of Lando Norris will start P3.
In the end, Ferrari’s promising pace was only worth P5 and P6 for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc respectively.
You can follow all the live action and reaction below.
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British Grand Prix qualifying results: Verstappen stuns McLaren pair to claim pole
As promised before qualifying, here is soccer manager Jose Mourinho on presenting duties following the top 10 shootout.
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Stripping back the Red Bull of some of its downforce overnight worked a treat for Max Verstappen — and it’s not the first time there has been a big step forward from Friday to Saturday. Here’s Verstappen:
💬 “It was tricky out there with the wind. It was all shifting around.
I was trying to tidy it up throughout the whole qualifying and the final lap was good enough.
“This is a proper track here in qualifying, that you have to go flat out in all these corners, you have to be really committed, and that’s really enjoyable.
“We’ll try (tomorrow). We’re gonna go racing, we’re gonna have fun, and then we’re gonna try to give the best we’ve got.”
It was 2008 that McLaren last took pole position at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. It looked like Oscar Piastri would break that duck with his stellar first lap in Q3 — until Max Verstappen broke his heart at the very end.
Here is the championship leader:
💬 “The first lap was mega. I was trying to think of how I was going to go faster, and then I didn’t.
“It’s been tight all weekend. I left a little bit on the table so the team has done a great job, trying things this weekend, trying to get a bit more pace. There’s been a few points where we’ve been scratching our hands why we’re not quicker.
“So the team did a great job getting us back to the form we know. It should be an exciting race from there tomorrow.”
No complaints from Lando Norris, who was happy enough with taking P3 for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix…
💬 “I’m not unhappy with it. Of course, we’d love to be on top here in Silverstone but Max did a good job. Not quick enough for us today.
“It’s going to be fun tomorrow. It’s going to be a good battle between the three of us — probably more with Charles behind, with George as well.
It’s going to be an interesting Sunday, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Let’s grab some of the post-qualifying reaction for you, starting with the qualifying podium…
As my colleagues on the F1 desk will attest, I’m slowing becoming a big ol’ data nerd and have a spreadsheet running to compare qualifying averages this season.
I’ve just done a quick update after Q1 and the closest intra-team battle on the grid has got even closer!
The average gap this season between Sauber teammates Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto is down to just 0.003 seconds after 12 rounds, in Hulkenberg’s favor.
They’re also now 6-6 in the head-to-head. Super close!
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Adrian Newey is in the Aston Martin garage this weekend, marking his second race on-site with the team since starting in March. The legendary F1 car designer was also in Monaco.
Earlier this week, The Athletic got the chance for a look around Aston Martin’s state of the art factory at an evening event there.
Even though it was gone 9 p.m., we were able to spot Newey working at his drawing board in the design office.
Fernando Alonso into Q3 and will start P7 in tomorrow’s race.
Here is how that final shootout finished in Q3..
*3-place grid penalty
**10-place grid penalty
Lewis Hamilton was told on the radio that it was all in the final corner where he lost time.
He was just a tenth short of Oscar Piastri’s benchmark before Max Verstappen’s final effort.
It was unbelievably close at the front.
Magic, magic lap from Max Verstappen to get pole position.
“You went motor racing, Max. That’s pole position,” says his race engineer GianPiero Lambiase on the radio.
I don’t believe it.
Max Verstappen does it again! A 1:24.892 and he finishes a tenth ahead of Oscar Piastri, who will rue his slight error on the final corner of his second run.
Wow.
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⏰ 0:00 Neither Ferrari goes faster either.
All on you, Max Verstappen…
⏰ 0:00 Checkered flag out. George Russell goes P3 with a 1:25.029.
Lando Norris can only go P2 with a 1:25.010.
Oscar Piastri makes a mistake and won’t improve…
⏰ 0:56 Both Mercedes on their final lap already. Lando Norris will also finish ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Lewis Hamilton and then Max Verstappen will finish the runs, by the looks of it.
⏰ 2:24 Time for the final runs. This is it…
That’s a mighty first effort from Lewis Hamilton in Q3. P2 on the provisional grid, only a tenth off Oscar Piastri…
The nine-time Silverstone winner is in the hunt for the first time this year.
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⏰ 5:42 Your friendly reminder that regardless where Kimi Antonelli qualifies for the British Grand Prix, he faces a grid penalty just like Ollie Bearman.
Antonelli’s three-place grid drop stems from the Austrian Grand Prix, for causing that collision with Max Verstappen at Turn 3 of the opening lap — putting both out of the race.
⏰ 6:41 First blood to Oscar Piastri, who is into the 1:24s and ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton slower too, with Hamilton P2 — behind by just 0.135s.
Piastri’s time: 1:24.995.
⏰ 9:48 Serious credit needs to go to Pierre Gasly for making Q3 once again for Alpine.
It’s not an easy car to drive and the team seems to be in constant flux, yet he’s put it into the final stage of qualifying for the seventh time this year.
A sign of what’s possible in that car, which doesn’t cover Franco Colapinto in much glory.

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