F1 2025: British Grand Prix Qualifying Recap

Just as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were beginning to run away with the Drivers’ title battle, reigning World Champion Max Verstappen once again put his hat into the ring, stealing pole from the McLaren duo at the 2025 British Grand Prix.

Verstappen picked up his first pole position since the 2025 Miami Grand Prix and will start on the front row alongside current championship leader Oscar Piastri. The two home drivers, Lando Norris and George Russell, will start on the second row, followed by the Ferrari pair behind them. For Verstappen, this marks his fourth pole position of the season, having previously taken pole in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Miami.

If you missed the 2025 British Grand Prix qualifying session, here’s a quick recap:

Q1 – Hamilton Scrapes Through; Colapinto’s Big Crash Knocks Him Out

Oscar Piastri’s 1:26.002 was the quickest time early on, with the McLaren driver flying. Max Verstappen was just 0.039s behind, while Piastri’s teammate could only manage P4 after the first proper runs, 0.163s down on the Australian.

With just over six minutes to go, the session saw its first Red Flag as Alpine’s Franco Colapinto lost the rear at the final corner and ended up in the gravel. Although he got the car out, he stopped soon after, bringing out the Red Flag.

When the session resumed, Verstappen initially went quickest with a 1:25.886. As the chequered flag fell, Ferrari controversially chose not to give Hamilton a final flying lap, resulting in the veteran British driver scraping through in P14. Meanwhile, both Saubers, VCARB’s Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, and Lance Stroll failed to get out of Q1.

Drivers eliminated in Q1:
Liam Lawson
Gabriel Bortoleto
Lance Stroll
Nico Hülkenberg
Franco Colapinto

Also Read – Can Max Verstappen Be Lured Into Joining Mercedes?

Q2 – Home Hero Hamilton on Top; Williams Struggle

Piastri once again set the pace early in Q2 with a 1:25.316, but since Verstappen clocked the same time first, it was the Red Bull driver who sat atop the timesheets. Norris then bettered them both with a 1:25.231, 0.085s quicker than Piastri and Verstappen.

As the final runs came in, Silverstone erupted. It wasn’t just a Ferrari 1-2 at the top—it was Lewis Hamilton going fastest with a 1:25.084, 0.049s ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. While Ferrari celebrated a strong session, it was another rough one for Red Bull’s second car, with Yuki Tsunoda once again failing to make Q3. Both Williams drivers, along with Haas’ Esteban Ocon and VCARB’s Isack Hadjar, also exited in Q2.

Drivers eliminated in Q2:
Carlos Sainz
Yuki Tsunoda
Isack Hadjar
Alex Albon
Esteban Ocon

Q3 – Verstappen Steals Pole at the Last Second as McLarens Falter

Oscar Piastri’s 1:24.995 was the benchmark after the first runs in the top-10 shootout, 0.172s clear of his teammate. Hamilton slotted in between them with a stunning lap just 0.135s off Piastri, briefly creating a McLaren sandwich.

On the final runs, Norris couldn’t improve, and Piastri had a moment in the final corner that ruined his chance to go quicker. Hamilton failed to capitalize on the McLaren errors, but Max Verstappen delivered a flying lap across all three sectors, stealing pole with a stunning 1:24.892.

Kimi Antonelli finished seventh but will drop to P10 due to a penalty from the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix. Ollie Bearman, who placed P8 in Q3, is set to start P18 after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for a red flag infringement in FP3.