British drivers Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton both lamented mistakes made during qualifying that likely prevented them from securing a home pole position at Silverstone on Saturday.
Norris, representing McLaren, and Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, were strongly supported by the enthusiastic crowd during a thrilling five-way battle for pole, ultimately won by Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Lando Norris finished qualifying in third place, just behind his teammate Oscar Piastri. Despite a defiant smile when speaking afterwards, Norris admitted his disappointment at not taking pole.
He stated, “I am (gutted not to be on pole). We just weren`t quick enough as a team. Would a perfect lap put us on pole? Yes. But was there probably more in Max`s lap? Yes.”
Norris came into the Silverstone weekend with positive momentum after winning the previous race in Austria, narrowing the gap to Piastri in the championship standings. However, this qualifying result extended his teammate`s head-to-head advantage over him to 7-5 for the season.
Norris elaborated on the fine margins, saying, “Little margins. Little mistakes. A couple of hundredths here and there can win or lose you the game today.” Reflecting on his final attempt, he added, “My final (lap), I would have hoped to find just that little bit more. Just didn`t quite get the grip out of it in some corners, and the right balance.”
Hamilton Reflects on Near Miss
Lewis Hamilton being a contender for pole position was somewhat unexpected, especially after Mercedes` pace in practice sessions appeared less competitive compared to others. They seemed to struggle initially, with Hamilton almost being eliminated in Q1, but found crucial speed towards the end of Q2 to rejoin the fight.
After the first runs in Q3, Hamilton was P2 behind Piastri. On his final lap, he was ahead of the Australian`s provisional pole time heading into the last sector.
However, a costly error at Turn 16 led to a significant loss of time. This mistake dropped him down to fifth on the grid in an incredibly close session where the top six cars were separated by just over two tenths of a second.
Hamilton commented, “Right up until the last corner I think I was close to second on the grid. But I had a bit of understeer at (turn) 16 and ended up losing a tenth-and-a-bit.”
Despite the frustration of not achieving a higher grid position, Hamilton expressed satisfaction at being competitive and feeling more comfortable with his car.
“It`s generally been a decent weekend so far,” he added. “I`m definitely feeling more comfortable with the set-up of the car and the balance of the car.”
Russell “Very Happy” with Strong Finish
Perhaps the most pleased of the British drivers was George Russell. He faced a challenging qualifying session but delivered a spectacular final lap to secure fourth place, edging out his teammate Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver finished only 0.137 seconds behind pole-sitter Verstappen, a significant improvement from being six tenths off the pace after his initial Q3 run.
This result maintains Russell`s impressive qualifying record, having started within the top five in all but one of the 12 races this season (the exception being Monaco due to a technical issue).
He told reporters, “I`m very happy because we`ve been off the pace this whole weekend. I was not expecting to be in the fight for a good position, especially with how strong the Ferraris looked. And we always know the McLarens will be there.”
Russell concluded, “On the last lap we really came alive, and it was mega strong. It was a good result.”
