Spanish Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz took pole position at the British Grand Prix on Sunday, setting the fastest time in Formula 1 qualifying for the first time in his career at Silverstone, which hosts round 10 of the competition.
The 27-year-old, in his 150th attempt in the first category and on a wet track due to rain, outperformed the Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, title holder and leader in the individual classification, for most of the tests.
“It was a good lap,” said Sainz, pleased with his achievement. “I struggled a lot because of the water on the track.”
“The best time came as a surprise to me. We had speed all weekend,” added the fifth-place rider. “The best time in training is always great, especially at Silverstone.”
On the other hand, Verstappen said: “Qualifying was very difficult because of the rain, you had to be on the track at the right time.”
“I think being ahead is very good for us and we have a good car in the wet and dry,” added the Dutchman, who has won 6 races this season.
Charles Leclerc of Monaco (Ferrari) and Sergio “Chico” Perez (Red Bull) of Mexico have confirmed their teams’ dominance since the start of the year, finishing third and fourth respectively.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, land holder and record holder for most Silverstone wins (8), finished fifth, while fellow young compatriot George Russell finished eighth.
Mercedes, Alpine and Williams made new modifications to their cars before the start of the race, which was considered a giant step for the Silver Arrows team after a disastrous start under the auspices of the new laws.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who was caught in the rain on the final laps, praised the improvements in his car, saying: “We are still struggling with rebounds in corners at high speed and that is where Red Bull excels. “
Al-Sir has only been forced to podium twice this season (Bahrain and Canada), which has hurt his rankings as he sits in sixth place with 77 points, 98 points behind Mad Max leaders.
British fans are hoping their champion will take his ninth title on the famous circuit on Sunday to write his name in Category 1 history for the most wins at the same circuit.
And if he fails to live up to his and his fans’ expectations, the Briton will miss his 11th race in a row, which is a downside to his victorious record as he has never waited that long to get to the highest threshold on the track. podium.
Here is the timing of the third qualifying period:
1- Carlos Sainz (Spain/Ferrari) 1:40.983 min.
2- Max Verstappen (Netherlands/Red Bull) 1:41.055 d.
3- Charles Leclerc (Monaco/Ferrari) 1:41.298 d.
4- Sergio Perez (Mexico/Red Bull) 1:41.616 d.
5- Lewis Hamilton (UK/Mercedes) 1:41.995 d.
6- Lando Norris (Great Britain/McLaren) 1:42.084 d.
7- Fernando Alonso (Spain/Alpine Region) 1:42.116 d.
8- George Russell (UK/Mercedes) 1:42.161 d.
9- Zhou Guangyu (China/Alfa Romeo) 1:42.719 d.
10- Nicholas Latifi (Canada/Williams) 2:03.095 d.
