Verstappen Snatches British GP Pole in Silverstone Thriller

Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass in precision and timing to secure pole for the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, denying McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in an edge-of-the-seat qualifying session.

Red Bull's driver clocked a blistering 1:24.892 on his final lap, 0.103 of a second quicker than Piastri and 0.118 quicker than Norris. Verstappen's fourth pole of the season and his third at Silverstone is an affirmation of his supremacy at one of Formula 1's most tradition-steeped circuits.

George Russell impressed with a late surge to secure fourth for Mercedes, narrowly ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who had shown strong pace throughout practice. Charles Leclerc will start sixth, completing an all-Ferrari third row.

The session was far from uneventful. Alpine's Franco Colapinto produced a red flag in Q1 to perform a spin off into the barriers, while Haas debutant Oliver Bearman, who had qualified eighth, will now start 18th following a 10-grid-place penalty for infringing a red flag. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli drops to 10th following a three-grid-place penalty at the previous race.

The front five are within two-tenths of a second of one another and the risk of rain on Sunday, so Sunday's Grand Prix has risky action and strategic intrigue. Verstappen may have the pole, but two ravenous McLarens and a home crowd rooting on Norris and Hamilton don't make the contest nearly over.