McLaren: Verstappen is not the only threat in the race. Mercedes welcomes the cooler conditions
Qualifying at the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone delivered one of the closest sessions of the season, with McLaren, Red Bull Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, and Scuderia Ferrari all battling for pole position until the final moments. Ferrari appeared to be the favorites after three strong free practice sessions, but they faded when it mattered most, due in part to mistakes from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The fastest lap ultimately went to Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB21, who delivered a superb effort despite running a lower-downforce rear wing than his main competitors.
Oscar Piastri: “I didn’t have enough to beat Verstappen in qualifying, but I’ll try in the race”
McLaren came very close to securing pole, with Oscar Piastri lining up second on the grid alongside Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris just behind in third place. Piastri commented: “I’m not surprised that Max Verstappen was quick here. What surprises me more is how each car finds lap time in different ways. If you look at the telemetry, they’re very different from each other, and yet the lap times are incredibly close.”
Regarding Verstappen’s performance, the Australian added: “Max seemed fast from the beginning of the session, and I just didn’t have enough to beat him. My final lap in Q3 was a bit messy, which is unfortunate, but my first one was very strong. There are always ifs and buts, but I think I did a good job overall. Today Max Verstappen and Red Bull were the best. I’ll try to be the best in the race.”
Lando Norris disappointed but confident: “Red Bull’s low-downforce setup may cost them in the slow corners”
Lando Norris was visibly more disappointed, having hoped to take pole position in front of his home crowd. The British driver said: “I don’t think we were fast enough overall as a team, but we can’t be too unhappy with P3. We’ll take it and aim to make the race exciting tomorrow.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Norris suggested that Red Bull’s setup choice could offer an opportunity: “Max Verstappen is running a lower-downforce configuration, which makes them extremely quick on the straights. That’ll make it harder to pass them. But I think they might struggle a bit more in the slow corners, and even in some high-speed sections. Our competitors are strong in some areas and weaker in others—Ferrari included.”
Andrea Stella: “Wind was a key factor. Red Bull won’t suffer from their low-downforce setup during the race”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella weighed in on the session, admitting some surprise at Ferrari’s performance drop: “They were very strong in every session, and likely still are. But with the wind changing so quickly, it’s hard to pinpoint a true favorite. Ferrari looked like the team to beat, but the gaps are incredibly small.”
A major topic during the weekend was the rear wing configuration. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chose a higher-downforce specification compared to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB21. Stella explained: “With higher downforce, you’re less sensitive to wind and the car is more stable. This was a major part of our setup approach. With the strong winds in qualifying, it was possible to take the fast corners flat out, making a low-downforce wing a viable choice.”
This is exactly what Red Bull Racing opted for, allowing Verstappen to claim pole. Stella continued: “I don’t expect their setup to be a disadvantage in the race. At this circuit, tire degradation isn’t as closely linked to aerodynamic load. In fact, if you’re fast on the straights, you can go easier through the corners, which helps manage the tires better.”
George Russell: “I would have signed for P4—cooler conditions should help us in the race”
George Russell was pleased with his fourth-place result at Silverstone, especially given how the weekend had started. The Mercedes-AMG driver said: “I’m very happy with P4. Honestly, we didn’t have the pace all weekend, and if you’d told me before qualifying that I could be on the second row, I would’ve taken that immediately.”
In Q3, Russell only had one fresh set of tires left, forcing him to push to the limit in his single attempt. “To be just one tenth away from pole with only one shot is actually frustrating in a way,” he said. “But we now have a great chance to fight for the podium tomorrow.”
Looking at the race conditions, Russell pointed to the weather as a possible advantage: “The forecast is a bit uncertain, and if it’s cooler, I think that can help us show better pace than we had in FP2. Whatever happens, I’m ready to give everything in front of the home fans.”
Kimi Antonelli: “My lap wasn’t great—we’re lacking rear stability in fast corners”
Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who qualified seventh, will start further back due to a three-place grid penalty for his collision with Max Verstappen in Austria. Reflecting on his qualifying lap, Antonelli admitted: “It wasn’t a great lap. I struggled especially in the second sector.”
He added: “Overall, I think we’re missing rear-end stability in the high-speed sections, and the rear wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be. That cost me confidence and probably some lap time. Hopefully, the race gives us a chance to recover some positions.”
Andrew Shovlin: “Changes after Friday helped—cooler conditions may be key”
Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin noted that the W15 had been tricky to handle all weekend: “The car has been unpredictable in every session, both in terms of race pace and qualifying performance. Improving it wasn’t easy, but George Russell pulled out a very strong lap in Q3.”
“Having only one fresh set of tires and still being less than a tenth away from pole is impressive, though obviously there’s some frustration that we were so close. The race will be very tight. We made some setup changes after the poor long runs on Friday, and if we get cooler temperatures tomorrow, that could play in our favor.”
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