Hollywood dazzle at Silverstone with presence of Brad Pitt and feature film crew
Formula 1 heads back to one of its most famous sites as Silverstone hosts the 2023 British Grand Prix this weekend.
Last time out in Austria, Max Verstappen continued his dominant form with a fifth straight win this season, extending his lead in the world championship to 81 points, with team-mate Sergio Perez in second.
Lewis Hamilton endured a mixed weekend in Spielberg, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished on the podium. Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris will be eyeing strong results this weekend at their home race, with recent upgrades for both Mercedes and McLaren renewing optimism in both camps.
On Friday at a bright and sunny Silverstone, Max Verstappen was quickest in first and second practice. Carlos Sainz won last year’s action-packed race for Ferrari, his first and only win in F1.
Follow British Grand Prix live updates with The Independent this weekend – qualifying started at 3pm (BST).
F1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX – QUALIFYING
Show latest update
RED FLAG – Kevin Magnussen stops in sector three!
Kevin Magnussen’s Haas has stopped at Stowe!
“Everything’s switched off!” Nightmare for the Dane – and the red flag is thrown with three minutes and 11 seconds left!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Magnussen, Zhou, Sargeant, Bottas, Albon
Sergio Perez dangerously close in P14; but we’ll have a stoppage here…
(F1)
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:16
Nyck de Vries under threat with a penalty for an unsafe release
Mistake from AlphaTauri in the pit lane – they’ve let De Vries out right in the path of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:15
Alex Albon heading out in Q1 as it stands
“Yeah, it’s raining everywhere at the moment,” says George Russell.
Five minutes to go and Alex Albon – who has been so good in practice – is currently 19th after losing it slightly at Stowe!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Zhou, Sargeant, Bottas, Albon, Hulkenberg
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:13
Sergio Perez in the bottom-five
A worrying few minutes with Lewis Hamilton P20 but he gets himself up 10th…
Track constantly improving here, but rain is expected in around five minutes so these laps could be vital!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Gasly, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Perez, Piastri
Top-3: Alonso, Russell, Norris
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:09
Lewis Hamilton spins!
Bit of a moment for Lewis Hamilton at the end of the Hangar Straight!
He loses control of his Mercedes and spins into the gravel – but crucially keeps the car moving so he can continue in the session!
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:05
Charles Leclerc changing tyres already in Q1
Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg start on inters, but Leclerc already boxing for softs…
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:02
Q1 is underway!
First qualifying session is underway – 18 minutes where the slowest five drivers will be eliminated from qualifying.
DRS is disabled given the variable conditions…
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 15:01
F1 qualifying at the British Grand Prix
There’s already a queue at the end of the pit lane, with the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the front!
They’re both on soft tyres, the track clearly drying up enough after third practice earlier. Some cars are on intermediate tyres though…
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 14:59
F1 qualifying at the British Grand Prix
We’re 10 minutes from qualifying at Silverstone – and it’s just started raining!
It could well be a very interesting session. No doubts who the favourite is in Max Verstappen, but variable conditions certainly give the rest of the grid a chance.
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 14:50
Here are the Driver Standings ahead of this weekend:
1) Max Verstappen – 229 points
2) Sergio Perez – 148 points
3) Fernando Alonso – 129 points
4) Lewis Hamilton – 108 points
5) Carlos Sainz – 86 points
6) Charles Leclerc – 72 points
7) George Russell – 70 points
8) Lance Stroll – 43 points
9) Esteban Ocon – 31 points
10) Lando Norris – 22 points
11) Pierre Gasly – 17 points
12) Nico Hulkenberg – 9 points
13) Alex Albon – 7 points
14) Oscar Piastri – 5 points
15) Valtteri Bottas – 5 points
16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points
17) Yuki Tsunoda – 2 points
18) Kevin Magnussen – 2 points
19) Nyck de Vries – 0 points
20) Logan Sargeant – 0 points
Kieran Jackson8 July 2023 14:46