Verstappen on pole as McLaren start 2nd and 3rd

Max Verstappen will start the British Grand Prix from pole position, with the upgraded McLaren completing the top three in qualifying at Silverstone

Rainy conditions around Silverstone meant qualifying got underway on a damp but drying track, with some drivers starting the session on slick tyres, while others came out on intermediates.

There was an early spin for Lewis Hamilton, who managed to keep his Mercedes going despite a trip into the gravel, while slippery conditions in the pitlane meant Verstappen hit the pitlane wall and damaged his front wing.

Q1 had to be red flagged when Kevin Magnussen’s Haas ground to a halt in the middle of the track, while there was another mechanical failure at the end of the session as Valtteri Bottas was forced to pull to the side of the track,

Yellow flags caused by Bottas’s stoppage cost Sergio Perez, who wasn’t able to set a fast time while the track was at its best.

Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll almost tangled in Q2, costing both a shot at getting through to the top 10.

Neither the Ferrari nor Mercedes cars could get close to Verstappen in Q3, with McLaren proving to be his biggest threat.

Lando Norris briefly looked to be set for pole position for the first time in his career, as he bettered Verstappen’s first Q3 time, but the reigning champion managed to go faster, leaving Norris in second, while Oscar Piastri completed the top three.

Provisional qualifying result:

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

6. George Russell (Mercedes)

7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

8. Alex Albon (Williams)

9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

11. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

14. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

15. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)

16. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

17. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)

18. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo)

19. Nyck DeVries (AlphaTauri)

20. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)