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British GP
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2021 Formula 1 British GP
Jul 15, 2021 to Jul 18, 2021
| Silverstone, GB
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Formula 1 British GP
F1 British GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 and qualifying
All of Friday's action ahead of the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone
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Summary
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Summary
- Hamilton beats Verstappen to sprint race pole
- Alonso, Gasly, Ocon, Giovinazzi, Stroll out of Q2
- Tsunoda, Raikkonen, Latifi, Schumacher, Mazepin out of Q1
- Silverstone welcomes back spectators for F1 event
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Leaderboard
1. Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Bottas, Mercedes
4. Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Perez, Red Bull
6. Norris, McLaren
7. Ricciardo, McLaren
8. Russell, Williams
9. Sainz, Ferrari
10. Vettel, Aston Martin
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Checkered flag
02:21:02 pm
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Right, with qualifying (part one) completed here's what to look forward to tomorrow: A final hour of free practice which runs between 12pm-1pm, before the first-ever sprint event which starts at 4:30pm (both local time). Join us for those tomorrow, but until then have a lovely evening!
Breaking news
02:17:26 pm
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Need a recap on qualifying? We've got you covered: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/british-gp-qualifying-report/6631633/
02:14:23 pm
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Hamilton also gives credit to both the Silverstone home crowd and his Mercedes team for giving him the push in that session - it certainly looked like this one meant a lot, even if it isn't technically pole.
02:11:02 pm
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Hamilton on his 'pole' ahead of the sprint: "We stayed focused on our job, I was in the sim this morning using it as a practice session, trying to leave no stone unturned. I lost the back-end in the last corner so my heart was in my mouth!"
02:08:44 pm
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Verstappen on P2: "We need to look at ourselves as the car was handling well but we then had a lot of understeer. It was a weird feeling to drive. I don't think it was set-up related."
02:07:35 pm
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Bottas on his P3 starting position for the sprint: "It was a good qualifying considering how fast Red Bull were in practice. It is all to play for tomorrow so hopefully we have good race pace."
02:04:23 pm
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Norris takes sixth just ahead of team-mate Ricciardo, with Russell in eighth - his best qualifying result for Williams. Sainz and Vettel complete the top 10.
02:03:30 pm
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Bottas takes third and Perez, who had been fourth, loses his lap for going wide at Stowe which pushes him to fifth as Leclerc moves up to P4.
Checkered flag
02:01:56 pm
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...but it is not enough! Verstappen is second with a 1m26.209s, which means Hamilton takes pole for the sprint qualifying race!
02:01:17 pm
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Hamilton gets it sideways through Vale! He keeps his car pointing in the right direction but that is his lap gone. Here comes Verstappen...
02:00:26 pm
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Hamilton is going quicker again in the first sector, while Verstappen is down on his lap in the same sector...
01:59:25 pm
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The rest of the Q3 contenders are on the track now and it is final lap time. Here we go.
Stopwatch
01:58:25 pm
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As everyone pits, Russell comes out to an empty track and is met with huge cheers from his home crowd. His 1m26.971s lap time puts him P7.
01:56:58 pm
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Verstappen is unhappy with the adjustments made to his Red Bull car which may explain some of the 0.172s deficit to Hamilton.
01:55:45 pm
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Vettel had his lap time deleted for going over track limits at Stowe while Sainz had a relatively slow lap leaving him P8.
Stopwatch
01:54:50 pm
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...advantage Hamilton! The Brit puts in a 1m26.134s to take provisional pole and Verstappen is P2 with a 1m26.306s.
01:54:01 pm
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Verstappen is getting that slipstream but will it work... Hamilton currently fastest in sector one...
01:52:39 pm
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Nine drivers are out on the track, just Russell staying put for now, with Hamlton being followed by Verstappen. Is he looking for a tow?
01:50:02 pm
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Nobody opting for an early go at Q3. So it'll be a one or two push lap run for the top 10.
Lights green
01:48:39 pm
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Q3 - here we go.
01:48:15 pm
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Hamilton found time gains to wrestle the fastest second sector time from Verstappen in Q2, so it is 2-1 on that front for now. This could get tasty.
01:45:37 pm
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So, Q3 time, and for reference last year's British GP pole time by Hamilton was 1m24.303s.
Checkered flag
01:43:35 pm
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Perez and Vettel make it despite not coming out for those final laps, as out in Q2 are: P11 Alonso, P12 Gasly, P13 Ocon, P14 Giovinazzi, P15 Stroll.
Stopwatch
01:42:24 pm
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George Russell! Where did that come from? The Williams driver finds 0.6s to jump to P7 to make Q3 for a second consecutive race.
Stopwatch
01:41:11 pm
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Hamilton goes quickest in Q2 with a 1m26.023s - while both Ferrari drivers jump up to P4 and P5 respectively.
01:39:16 pm
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All Q2 drivers are out on the track apart from Perez (P4) and Vettel (P5). They will be sitting out this final run and sweating over their Q3 spots.
01:37:23 pm
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Time for a short breather before the final Q2 laps as all the drivers pit. Or they just want to build up the tension.
Quote
01:34:57 pm
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"I need a slipstream guys," Leclerc says over his team radio. He might need to ask Sainz on that one.
01:33:41 pm
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And here come the Ferraris - Sainz into P7 and Leclerc into P8 to push Gasly and Russell out of those Q3 slots.
01:32:53 pm
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Lap times are in from all the drivers apart from the Ferrari pair. Russell is on the bubble in P10 as it stands, ahead of Alonso, Stroll and Giovinazzi.
Stopwatch
01:30:47 pm
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Not for long though as Verstappen goes fastest with a 1m26.504s - 0.098s quicker than Hamilton.
Stopwatch
01:30:05 pm
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Hamilton sets the early time to beat in Q2 with a 1m26.602s, beating team-mate Bottas by 0.164s.
01:27:47 pm
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Fast out of the pits are McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes. No medium tyre tactics in this session because all drivers have a free choice of tyre for tomorrow's sprint.
Lights green
01:25:40 pm
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Q2 is underway, time to decide the top 10.
01:25:22 pm
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This will be more relevant later in qualifying but worth noting Hamilton was fastest in the first sector but lost out to Verstappen in sectors two and three. Is that Red Bull keeping its soft tyres in peak condition for longer?
01:23:15 pm
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There were plenty of last-lap improvements in Q1, but Tsunoda wasn't one of them which is why he dipped into the drop zone. At the top, Hamilton improved to move just 0.035s off Verstappen.
01:21:03 pm
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Out in Q1: P16 Tsunoda, P17 Raikkonen, P18 Latifi, P19 Schumacher, P20 Mazepin.
01:20:07 pm
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Russell proves he isn't just Mr Saturday - he is Mr Friday as well. He briefly dropped into the danger zone but leaps up to the safety spots. Vettel and Stroll also escape with their final laps!
Checkered flag
01:18:24 pm
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There's the Q1 chequered flag, last chance time.
Stopwatch
01:16:34 pm
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Ricciardo will feel better about that, as he jumps up to P7 with a 1m27.615s, which pushes Vettel into the drop zone.
Pagination
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By: Jake Boxall-Legge
Published: Jul 16, 2021, 6:21 PM
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