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George Russell secured pole position for his home race, lining up alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton in P2 for Sunday’s British Grand Prix. Lando Norris qualified P3, making it an all-British top three in qualifying, and Max Verstappen will line up next to him in fourth after suffering damage earlier in qualifying.
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The Mercedes front-row lockout comes a week after Russell secured the team’s first win since 2022.”We definitely didn’t expect to be front row this weekend, but this is huge for us,” Hamilton said.
A few surprises happened as qualifying unfolded. Focusing on the top 10, Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg outqualified Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, and Williams’ Alex Albon split the Aston Martin drivers. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc got knocked out in Q2, and Sergio Pérez beached his Red Bull in Q1.
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
The Silverstone fans enjoyed that! #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/9rPLH8yLRV
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 6, 2024
As Russell approached his on-track interview, cheers roared from the grandstands.
“This is definitely one of the best feelings I’ve ever had on a Saturday afternoon, the car was just insane,” Russell said during the press conference moments later. “In Q3, it really just came alive. One of the best feelings I’ve ever had driving this circuit and crossing the line seeing my name P1. Seeing us both on the front row, we couldn’t have even dreamt of that after the first three or four races.”
But even with pole position in his pocket, Russell is expecting a tight race, particularly with Norris just behind the Mercedes duo. The McLarens, including Oscar Piastri who qualified fifth, have been competitive throughout the mixed conditions so far this weekend. And just because Verstappen is down in fourth, you can’t discount the speed of the three-time world champion.
What to make of qualifying
The rain has been stop-and-go throughout the weekend, and Norris is hoping it returns Sunday.
“It’s going to be a good race,” the McLaren driver said. “We’re quick. I can bring the fight to George, and I can bring the fight to Lewis so excited to put on a good show tomorrow.”
Over the last few races, Mercedes has become more competitive, inching its way into contention. Russell even noted how “at the start of this year, I don’t think we could’ve even dreamt of being on pole.” This marks Russell’s third pole position. Meanwhile, Hamilton thinks he still had time left on the table after Saturday’s qualifying session, which he noted that Russell appeared to find.
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Both Mercedes drivers touched on how the car is feeling much better this weekend. The Silver Arrows brought upgrades in Montreal last month, and since then, the two of them have found more consistency in qualifying. Russell said, “It really came into its own today. We were really quick in FP1 yesterday, we struggled in FP2 a little bit. But these conditions just really got the car into a perfect window.”
The bigger question is whether Mercedes has the race pace to keep up with Norris and Verstappen. The two drivers have been in their own league as of late, their battle ending with punctures last time out in Austria. But when Verstappen and Norris collided, Russell was there to capitalize on the moment and won the grand prix.
Russell does feel that Mercedes is “probably a tenth or two behind Lando and Max, but I think we’ve got a good fight on our hands.” And even Norris reckons Mercedes will be part of the fight for the win.
It’s anticipated that the weather could play a role in how Sunday’s race unfolds.
(Photo: MI News / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
