Soft tires, you say? That strategy didn’t work for Verstappen.
SILVERSTONE, England—With the famous British weather, the rain was light in the first session and heavier in the afternoon. Still, McLaren’s Lando Norris proved that it was not much of a bother as the home driver clocked a 1:26:549 quickest time to take the best time of the day. Teammate Oscar Piastri was in second, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, rebounding from recent disappointments, logged in third.
Of particular interest, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and many other drivers did something drivers usually do not do at this legendary circuit: put on soft tires right from the beginning of the session. Verstappen finished a surprising seventh.
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg surprised everyone with the top time with 20 minutes left in the afternoon session, but Norris, Piastri, and Perez quickly erased that time. With five minutes left in the session, rain began to come in from the southwest, ending the chances for many to set a better lap.
Hulkenberg stayed on course and took fourth, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended up in fifth following a short stay in second. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, the second of three drivers racing on their home circuit, did not complain about the rain but a slow car and took sixth. Carlos Sainz was eighth in the Ferrari, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who was second early in the afternoon session, ending up ninth. George Russell, the third home-standing driver, finished tenth in his Mercedes.
The only incident of the whole day was RB’s Yuki Tsunoda getting caught in a gravel trap, which temporarily put out a red flag that delayed the session.
The weather forecast for Saturday’s qualifying is a 40% chance of rain, as Norris hopes to continue his run to close the gap with Verstappen for the world championship. The Red Bull driver holds an 81-point lead with half the season left to go.
ESPN2 will televise Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, beginning each day at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
