At various points in the buildup to qualifying at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix contenders for pole position emerged. Lewis Hamilton, whose emotional win in this race a year ago sent a shockwave through the paddock, was fastest on the timing sheets in the first practice session. The McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remained strong as well.
But you can never count out Max Verstappen.
Verstappen’s rivals left the door open in the closing act of qualifying at Silverstone on Saturday, and the Red Bull driver stormed through that opening, putting together a thunderous final lap to snatch pole position, and put him right in the mix heading into today’s British Grand Prix.
But Silverstone is known to have a trick or two up its sleeve, and today might not be any different. Weather may play a factor, as rain is expected in the morning that could linger into the afternoon, and the start of the race.
Here is the provisional starting grid for the British Grand Prix:
British Grand Prix Final Starting Grid
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
| Row 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| Row 2 | 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 4 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| Row 3 | 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| Row 4 | 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 8 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| Row 5 | 9 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 10 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| Row 6 | 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 12 | Isack Hadjar | VCARB |
| Row 7 | 13 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| Row 8 | 15 | Liam Lawson | VCARB | 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber |
| Row 9 | 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| Row 10 | 19 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 20 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
Note: Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh but is serving a three-place grid penalty handed down at last week’s Austrian Grand Prix for causing a collision with Max Verstappen. Oliver Bearman qualified eighth, but is serving a ten-place grid penalty for a red flag incident in Saturday’s practice session.
Whatever happens today at Silverstone, SB Nation will have you covered every step of the way. Lights go out at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and we will have lap-by-lap coverage beginning well ahead of the Formation Lap. So check back early and often!
Race updates are listed either in Eastern Time or by Lap number.
Pre-race Notes
10:02: Jolyon Palmer and David Coulthard speculate on F1TV that with how the track is drying out already, we might see some drivers dip into pit lane at the end of the Formation Lap to make the switch to slick tires now. They would be at the back of the field, but might gain a huge advantage in the early laps of the British Grand Prix.
10:01: All 20 drivers on the intermediate tires.
10:00: The Formation Lap is underway at Silverstone.
9:59: Aston Martin tells Fernando Alonso that a “potentially heavy rain cell” should arrive around Lap 15 to Lap 17. Buckle up.
9:48: “I think it will make life harder in the wet,” says Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner of Verstappen’s rear wing.
9:42: On his grid walk Palmer notes that “it’s actually drying quite quickly.” He also thinks drivers will start on the intermediate tires, but the switch to slicks will come quickly.
9:38: The sun is out at Silverstone for Jolyon Palmer’s pre-race grid walk. Still think we’ll see cars start on the intermediate tires, but we might see them change to the slicks sooner than expected.
9:29: With the conditions at Silverstone, even with the rain slowing, we are looking at a start on the intermediate tires.
9:26: Reconnaissance laps are underway and it is raining at Silverstone. There is a belief on the F1TV pre-race show that any straight-line speed advantage Max Verstappen has due to the setup of his RB21, and the low-downforce rear wing the team put on his car ahead of Saturday, will be negated with the wet conditions.
We will see.
9:25: The Final Starting Grid has been confirmed and is noted above. Franco Colapinto will start from pit lane after Alpine made changes to his A525 overnight.
