Up until Q3 Saturday it was Max Verstappen’s world the rest of the F1 field just lived in it.
Verstappen led free practice 3 and considering his past performance in the wet, was the favorite to take that pole at Silverstone for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
Carlos Seinz would have none of it.
Rain started to fall just prior to the qualifying session setting up a possible dramatic afternoon. For the first two sessions, the there was none however as Verstappen led both Q1 and 2.
In Q3, Verstappen was leading as the clock ticked down. He spun and kept going, but that was all Sainz needed. On his final lap the Spainard charged through the rain, and thanks in part to a spin by his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, was able to secure his first pole in F1. Sainz told his team on the radio he was surprised.
“It was a good lap, but I was struggling with the standing water,” he said after it was over. “On intermediates there was a lot more standing water on the racing line. It was very easy to get snaps.
“In the end I put together a lap that I thought was nothing special but just put it on the board and see how it is.
Championship leader Verstappen will start on the front row.
“It was raining, drying, you had to be on the track at the right time,” Verstappen said.
“Overall, the car was working really well. In Q3, it is always a bit of lottery. I got a bit hindered on my final lap with the yellow flag but to be on the front row is good for us, and we have a good race car in the dry and in the wet.”
Leclerc recovered to take the third spot.
“Happy for Carlos,” Leclerc said. ‘He did a great job today, I spun in the last lap. I knew it was the lap I had to put everything together and I didn’t so I didn’t deserve to be on pole.”
Sergio Perez was fourth in the second Red Bull, ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, with Lando Norris sixth as Fernando Alonso and George Russell rounded out the top eight. Zhou Guanyu was ninth, while Nicholas Latifi survived a spin at Turn 1 to take P10, his first-ever Q3 appearance.
Sainz will now look forward to Sunday and a chance to add his first F1 win in his 150th start.
“Pole position, it came a bit of a surprise, “he said. “If I base myself on my FP2 pace, then we should be in a good position to try and hold onto it. I’m sure Max and Charles will put a lot of pressure, but I will try my best, of course.”
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:40.190 | 1:41.602 | 1:40.983 | |
| 2 | 1:39.129 | 1:40.655 | 1:41.055 | |
| 3 | 1:39.846 | 1:41.247 | 1:41.298 | |
| 4 | 1:40.521 | 1:42.513 | 1:41.616 | |
| 5 | 1:40.428 | 1:41.062 | 1:41.995 | |
| 6 | 1:41.515 | 1:41.821 | 1:42.084 | |
| 7 | 1:41.598 | 1:42.209 | 1:42.116 | |
| 8 | 1:40.028 | 1:41.725 | 1:42.161 | |
| 9 | 1:40.791 | 1:42.640 | 1:42.719 | |
| 10 | 1:41.998 | 1:43.273 | 2:03.095 | |
| 11 | 1:41.680 | 1:43.702 | ||
| 12 | 1:41.396 | 1:44.232 | ||
| 13 | 1:41.893 | 1:44.311 | ||
| 14 | 1:41.933 | 1:44.355 | ||
| 15 | 1:41.730 | 1:45.190 | ||
| 16 | 1:42.078 | |||
| 17 | 1:42.159 | |||
| 18 | 1:42.666 | |||
| 19 | 1:42.708 | |||
| 20 | 1:43.430 |
Greg has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.