Max Verstappen takes Pole at 2025 British Grand Prix as Norris and Leclerc fall short in qualifying

Max Verstappen clinched pole position for the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone with a sensational final lap, edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and local favourite Lando Norris in a tightly contested qualifying session. Despite showing impressive pace throughout the practice sessions, Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc failed to convert their early dominance into front-row starts.

The reigning world champion delivered when it mattered most, posting a blistering lap time of 1:24.892 in Q3 to secure his sixth pole of the season. Verstappen’s lap came late in the session, just as track conditions peaked, and was enough to deny the McLarens a home pole. Oscar Piastri impressed with a strong P2 finish, just 0.103s behind Verstappen, while teammate Lando Norris was narrowly pushed to P3, 0.118s off the pace.

Norris had looked set to challenge for pole after topping the time sheets in Free Practice 2 (FP2) and remaining consistently fast throughout the weekend. However, in Q3, he couldn’t quite match the raw speed of Verstappen and Piastri. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who topped FP3, appeared poised for a front-row battle. But a mistake in the final sector during his last flying lap in Q3 saw him finish only P6, behind both Mercedes drivers and teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The top 10

Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Lando Norris (McLaren), George Russell (Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari),Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Carlos Sainz (Williams [promoted via penalties]) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes [after 3-place drop]).

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