Max Verstappen has edged out the two McLarens to qualify on pole for Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Given his dominance in the title race, the Red Bull driver had been expected to cruise to the front spot on the grid, and that is how it seemed things would transpire for much of qualifying.
However, to the delight of the crowd, British driver Lando Norris secured provisional pole in the closing seconds of Q3, only for Verstappen to respond with a lap that was 0.241 seconds faster than the McLaren.
The consolation was Oscar Piastri producing a quite stunning drive to earn third place behind his McLaren teammate, relegating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to fourth.
P2 for Lando!! P3 for Oscar!! 🙌
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 8, 2023
What a performance from the McLaren duo! 👏#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ELg3wpZqYB
Carlos Sainz Jr will start behind his teammate in fifth, with the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in sixth and seventh respectively.
Alex Albon managed to secure eighth position in the Williams, with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Alpine's Pierre Gasly completing the top 10.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez, in the second Red Bull, could only qualify in 16th place after a chaotic end to Q1, one which saw Williams' Logan Sargeant reach Q2 and qualify in 14th, the highest placing of his F1 career.
Darren Plant
