Max Verstappen takes pole position in England: 'A big boost for the team'

Published on 05 July 2025 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the British Grand Prix. Ahead of the final flying lap in qualifying, Max was still in P4, but with a final, ultimate push, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver clocked a time of 1:24.892, claiming his fourth pole position of the season. Oscar Piastri finished just a tenth of a second behind Verstappen in P2, with home hero and McLaren teammate Lando Norris in third.

A broadly smiling Verstappen said after qualifying: "It was tricky with the wind. The wind kept changing in every session, and the cars are extremely sensitive to that here. We tried to tidy it up for qualifying, and the last lap was good enough." Max continued: "This is a proper track. When you have to go flat-out in qualifying with all these corners, you really have to be committed, so that was really enjoyable."

Together with his team, Verstappen opted for a setup that prioritised top speed. The decision paid off, he said: "We are pretty quick on the straights, which is not easy to manage through the high-speed corners, but it worked out today. We will have to see how things go tomorrow, there might be some rain, but I am happy with our qualifying. It is a big boost for the team, and I am excited to racing tomorrow."

As for whether Max believes he can win the race, he's keeping expectations in check: "That is difficult to say, but we will give it a try. We are going racing to have fun and we are trying the best we can."

Under a thick blanket of clouds, with a threat of rain, qualifying for the British Grand Prix began at the historic Silverstone Circuit, where the first-ever Formula 1 World Championship race was held 75 years ago. In his opening flying lap, Max set a 1:26.041, putting him in first, though Piastri soon narrowly dipped under that time.

With eight minutes remaining, Franco Colapinto spun in the final corner. The Argentine slid into the gravel and nudged the tyre barriers. Although he managed to escape the gravel trap, his Alpine was too damaged to return to the pits. The red flag was waved.

When the session resumed, raindrops started falling, but it did not seem to bother the drivers, the lap times continued to drop. Verstappen improved his time to 1:25.886, moving back into P1. No one managed to beat that, allowing Max to finish Q1 on top. The drivers eliminated in Q1: Liam Lawson (P16), Gabriel Bortoleto (P17), Lance Stroll (P18), Nico Hülkenberg (P19) and Franco Colapinto (P20).

In Q2, Max set a time of 1:25.316 on his first lap. Coincidentally, Piastri recorded exactly the same time, but since Max set it first, he held P1. Shortly after, Norris dipped beneath both of them. A second run followed for all drivers. The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc claimed the top two spots, while Max, in fourth, safely progressed to Q3. Eliminated in Q2: Carlos Sainz (P11), Yuki Tsunoda (P12), Isack Hadjar (P13), Alexander Albon (P14) and Esteban Ocon (P15).

In the final part of qualifying, Verstappen initially set a 1:25.267 on a used set of soft tyres, placing him in fourth. Oscar Piastri was in P1, followed by Hamilton and teammate Norris. Max, as the final driver, began his last flying lap. While others struggled to match Piastri’s time, Verstappen delivered a masterful lap of 1:24.892, taking pole. It marks Max’s fourth pole of the season and the 44th of his Formula 1 career. Piastri ended up just over a tenth behind in second, with Norris completing the top three. George Russell took fourth, followed by the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc, who will start from the third row. Kimi Antonelli finished seventh but will serve a three-place grid penalty for causing the start crash in Austria last week. Oliver Bearman impressed in eighth but receives a ten-place grid penalty for an incident under red flags in FP3. Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.

The race is scheduled to start on Sunday at 16:00 Dutch time.

Contest British GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results qualifying Great Britain: