Max Verstappen took pole position in the British Formula 1 Grand Prix, with the Red Bull driver breaking away with an impressive lap to take the lead ahead of McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

While Piastri had taken provisional pole position in the early runs of Q3, the Australian made a mistake on his final attempt and was unable to improve. But Verstappen completed a flawless lap to post the fastest time of 1:24.892, putting him 0.103 seconds ahead of Piastri’s McLaren.

Lando Norris’ other papaya will start from third, with the Briton also failing to beat his previous time on the final lap. George Russell followed for Mercedes in fourth, while Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, although the Ferrari driver was Piastri’s closest challenger in the early goings.

Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc took sixth, while Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took seventh ahead of Ollie Bearman in eighth, although the Haas driver will start near the back of the pack due to a 10-place penalty for a red flag violation in third practice.

Fernando Alonso took his Aston Martin to ninth, while Pierre Gasly finished an impressive 10th at the wheel of the Alpine.

It was a disappointing day for Williams, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both leaving Q2 in P11 and P14. It was another tough ride for Yuki Tsunoda, who found himself in P12 for Red Bull.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar took 13th, while Esteban Ocon’s Haas was the last car to miss the top 10 in 15th.

There was an unfortunate incident in Q1 when Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashed into the barrier at the final corner, bringing out the red flag and leaving the Argentinian in 20th.

Also eliminated in the first segment of Qualifying – which saw the entire pack except Colapinto covered by just six tenths – were Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in 16th, the Kick Sauber pair of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg in 17th and 19th, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll between them in 18th.