Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix in a tightly contested qualifying session at Silverstone, edging out Oscar Piastri by just 0.103s in a dramatic conclusion.
The Red Bull driver dug deep to find a 1:24.892 on his final lap, denying McLaren’s Piastri and Lando Norris a popular home pole on British soil.
Behind the headline-grabbing front row battle, there was contrasting fortune for the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.
Hadjar once again underlined his one-lap pace by progressing to Q2 and running as high as eighth in Q1, while Lawson’s day ended in heartbreak with a late drop into the Q1 elimination zone after sitting in a transfer spot with seconds to spare.
Q1:
Qualifying began under gloomy skies with a 30% threat of rain and light drizzle reported by Pierre Gasly on the opening laps. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto briefly set the pace before Alex Albon, and then Max Verstappen took over at the front with strong early laps.
The session intensified quickly as times tumbled. Oscar Piastri stunned with a 1:26.002, the fastest time of the session, just 0.039s ahead of Verstappen, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar delivered another mature performance to sit seventh fastest, only 0.342s off the outright pace.
The final minutes turned chaotic. Colapinto brought out a red flag after spinning into the gravel and damaging his Alpine, forcing a pause with 6:50 left on the clock.
When the session resumed, several big names were at risk. Lawson, having posted a time good enough for 14th with a late effort, was bumped out of the top 15 in the final flurry as Carlos Sainz and Hadjar both improved.
Sainz’s jump to eighth pushed Hamilton to 13th and Lawson to 16th, just outside the cut line by the narrowest of margins.
Meanwhile, Hadjar held firm with an impressive eighth-fastest time, continuing to assert himself as one of the grid’s most exciting new talents.
Eliminated from Q1: Lawson (16th), Bortoleto, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Colapinto.
Advancing to Q2: Verstappen, Piastri, Bearman, Albon, Alonso, Norris, Ocon, Sainz, Hadjar, Leclerc, Russell, Antonelli, Tsunoda, Hamilton and Gasly.
Q2:
The second segment saw Verstappen and Piastri trade blows at the top, both recording identical times of 1:25.316 before Norris briefly took over with a 1:25.231. Hadjar slotted into eighth after his first run, but the times kept dropping.
Ferrari came alive late in the session, with Lewis Hamilton setting the fastest lap of Q2 (1:25.084) and teammate Charles Leclerc just 0.049s behind him. That surge pushed Hadjar to the brink.
As the session concluded, the French-Moroccan rookie couldn’t improve enough and was knocked out in 11th place, an agonising result, but one that again demonstrated his consistency and composure under pressure.
Eliminated from Q2: Hadjar (11th), Sainz, Tsunoda, Albon, Ocon
Advancing to Q3: Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen, Piastri, Bearman, Alonso, Antonelli, Russell, Gasly.
Q3:
The pole position shootout delivered a thrilling climax. Verstappen set the early benchmark with a 1:25.267, but Piastri responded with a brilliant 1:24.995. Lando Norris briefly slotted into second, only to be pushed down by Hamilton.
But as the final runs unfolded, Piastri made a slight error at the final corner, and Verstappen pounced. The Dutchman’s 1:24.892 was enough to claim pole, just ahead of Piastri, with Norris and George Russell set to start from row two.
Bearman made Q3 and wrapped up in 8th place but will start from 18th after serving a 10-place grid penalty for his red flag infringement during FP3, where he crashed at pit entry. The stewards also handed the British Haas driver four penalty points, his second red flag offence in just five races.
Only two-tenths separated the top five qualifiers, highlighting the razor-thin margins at the front in what promises to be a blockbuster British Grand Prix.
Lawson will now have it all to do on race day, while Hadjar will again look to climb into the points from the fringes. With the top five separated by just 0.297s in qualifying and changeable weather still looming, Sunday’s race at Silverstone is shaping up to be one of the most competitive yet.
Header Image: Simon Galloway/LAT Images via Red Bull Content Pool
