F1 British GP: Carlos Sainz pips Max Verstappen to maiden pole in wet qualifying
Red Bull’s Verstappen appeared to the favourite for pole after setting a blistering pace in the wet conditions, but it was Sainz who stole the headlines with a brilliant lap in his Ferrari to snatch his 🅷maiden pole at a sodden Silverstone.
Sainz, who was denied a first victory by Verstappe🌳n last time out in Canada, set a time just 0.072s faster than the reigning world champion as he splashed 💜his way to the front of the F1 grid for the first time in his F1 career.
After being informed of his achievement, Sainz said over team radio: "I didn't expect that one. I felt terrible out there! Ho♏w did I do P1?".
"You keep it together, like a smooth operat♎or," his eng𝓡ineer responded.
Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc spun on his final lap as he ended up third and 0.315s off the pace.&nbs⭕p;
Half a second behind his Red Bull teammate, S💫ergio Perez took fourth ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamil🐎ton, who was the fastest Brit, one tenth clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Fernando Alonso took seventh for Alpi♏ne, ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes and Alfa🌸 Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou.
Meanwhile, Williams’ Niܫcholas Latifi flourished in the wet conditions as he starred on his way to 10th🅺 place in what marked his first-ever Q3 appearance.
Pierre Gasly missed out on a spot in the top 10 in 11th, ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valt💮teri Bottas and AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, while Daniel Ricciardo also failed to progress to Q3 with a time only good enough for ❀14th.
With the rain 🤡worsening towards the end of Q2, Esteban Ocon was unable to impඣrove in his Alpine, leaving the Frenchman a lowly 15th on the grid for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
Williams’ upgraded aero package could not prevent Albon from being knocked out in Q1🉐 in 16th as the Thai rac🌸er complained he had no grip on his way to finishing 16th.
Albon was joined in the bottom five by the two Haas and Aston Martin drivers, with Kevin Magnussen﷽ 17th ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Mick Schumacher and Lance Stroll, who ended up 20th and slowest.
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