July 02, (THEWILL) – Carlos Sainz of Ferrari crossed the finish line ahead of the other drivers to claim pole position for the first time in his Formula 1 career, in qualifying for the British Grand Prix.
At Silverstone, the rain began falling early, and although many people thought it would eventually stop, it continued to fall steadily throughout, leaving little room for error and favouring one of the track’s most seasoned drivers.
However, early on, there were a few unexpected casualties. Lance Stroll leaving the race early may not have come as a surprise, but Sebastian Vettel did as well. Prior to Q2, Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher and Alexander Albon followed the Astons.
Lando Norris lamented the worsening conditions, saying, “It is getting too bad – I am starting to aquaplane a lot” on intermediates. While Esteban Ocon, Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, Valtteri Bottas, and Pierre Gasly were all eliminated before the final runout, Norris made the cut.
Max Verstappen was pushing himself to the limit, managing to keep his vehicle on the track when he came out of a curve too quickly and spun it down the straight, but Sainz won the pole with Verstappen in second. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, his worst Silverstone finish since 2014. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez came in third and fourth, respectively.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
