Great Britain Grand Prix – Qualifying: The McLaren madness

Q1:

The 20 drivers on the grid began this qualifying session on a very wet and slippery track. As the conditions in the sky and on the ground were different, some teams had decided to send out their drivers with the intermediate tires instead of the red-banded ones. It quickly became apparent that the latter were the better option. With these soft tires, the fastest lap time was beaten with each lap of the cars.

In front of a crowd rallying behind him, Lewis Hamilton treated the spectators seated in the Stowe grandstand to a graceful spin in the gravel trap. Fortunately for him, driver Hamilton quickly returned to the track without any difficulty or damage to his car. This corner proved to be particularly treacherous throughout the session. Carlos Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, and Alexander Albon

For the 6th time this season and the 5th consecutive time, Perez did not make it through to Q3. A horrifying statistic considering the dominant pace of his car. Before the red flag caused by Kevin Magnussen’s immobilization on the track, the Mexican was only in 14th place with 4 minutes remaining. Realizing he absolutely had to get back on track, the Red Bull driver positioned himself as the leader of the cars in the pits. Being the first one to hit the track, he ended up far away from first place. Having driven on a track with less grip than the others and producing a mediocre lap, Perez finished as the first of the eliminated drivers in 16th position.

It was a lively end to Q1 for the reigning world champion. He had torn off his front wing while trying to exit his garage. A little scare that had no consequences. Leading the standings, the Dutchman was among the last to go out for his final attempt. The pressure of not having enough time to set one last lap time forced him to bring out his combative nature. He was fighting with his arch-rival, Lewis Hamilton, for track position.

3rd in FP1, 3rd in FP2 and then 2nd in FP3, Alexander Albon could have had high hopes for the qualifying session. However, the start of Q1 was far from ideal for the Williams driver. Slipping and canceling his attempts, it was during his last lap that the Thai driver woke up and managed to show the good performance of his Williams by getting the 7th best time.

Eliminated in Q1: Sergio Perez (16th), Yuki Tsunoda (17th), Guanyu Zhou (18th), Nyck de Vries (19th), and Kevin Magnussen (20th)

Q2:

Carried by British fans, Lando Norris surely made them very proud by crossing the line with a 1’29’427. A time that not even Max Verstappen managed to beat at the end of his first attempt. It was Fernando Alonso, on a second try, who became the first driver to dethrone the McLaren driver.

Above the pilots’ heads, the sky was gradually clearing. The sun was starting to make the chassis of the single-seaters shine, but above all, it was raising the temperature of the asphalt.

While Alexander Albon continued to shine in the fast lap exercise, this Q2 was much faster on the other side of the garage. Indeed, Logan Sargeant was eliminated in 14th position. That’s 10 places behind his teammate but more importantly, a full second separating the two men. The American has reason to be disappointed with his performance. He finally had a car capable of showcasing his full potential.

During his warm-up lap, Esteban Ocon braked on a puddle at the edge of the last chicane. This small mistake flattened his tire and didn’t put him in the best conditions to make it out of Q2. As a result, the Normand was eliminated in 14th position.

Eliminated in Q2: Nico Hülkenberg (11th), Lance Stroll (12th), Esteban Ocon (13th), Logan Sargeant (14th), and Valtteri Bottas (15th)

Q3:

With the arrival of the sun, Max Verstappen filled up on vitamin D to recharge his energy and this translated onto the track with a 1’27’084. A magnificent lap time, 6 tenths faster than Lewis Hamilton in second position. Ultimately, the result of this Q3 was very similar to Q2. Verstappen was the fastest, closely followed by the McLarens sporting new colors this weekend.

Lando Norris set the second-best time. As he crossed the finish line, the spectators present jumped for joy. It wasn’t just the British driver who displayed impressive speed behind the wheel of the McLaren. Oscar Piastri will start tomorrow’s race in third position.

The two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz complete the Top 5. Behind them are Lewis Hamilton and his teammate George Russell. Alexander Albon, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly round out the Top 10.