F1 British Grand Prix sprint race LIVE: Qualifying results and reaction today
Follow live coverage of the first-ever F1 Sprint where the grid for Sunday’s British Grand Prix will be decided
Follow live reaction from the first-ever F1 Sprint ahead of the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
F1 is ushering in the biggest change to its weekend format in the modern era with Saturday's Sprint - one third distance of a traditional race - to determine the grid for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race to secure pole position for the British Grand Prix and extend his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton to 33 points. Seven-time world champion Hamilton will start alongside his Dutch rival on the front row after finishing second for Mercedes in a 17-lap race that offered three points for the winner, two for runner-up and one for third.
Hamilton’s team mate Valtteri Bottas was third in an experimental race that replaced the usual Saturday qualifying for the 10th round of the championship. Follow all the latest reaction today:
F1 Sprint qualifying: Drivers standings
Here are the drivers standings ahead of the Sprint, where there are championship points at stake. Three points will be awarded to first place, two for second, and one for third - so it won’t change these standings dramatically.
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 182
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 150
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 104
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 101
5. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 92
F1 Sprint qualifying: Is the risk worth the reward?
Aston Martin team principal Omar Szafnauer says the F1 Sprint qualifying format presents teams and drivers with a “conundrum” as they weigh up how aggressive to be over the 17 laps.
“I think there will be jeopardy at the beginning,” Szafnauer told Sky Sports. “After that it will be a conscious decision: is the risk worth the reward?”
Aston Martin’s drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, line up 10th and 15th respectively so there is plenty of ground to make up in order to boost their grid positions ahead of tomorrow’s race.
F1 Sprint qualifying: Thrilled Hamilton thankful for home fans
Lewis Hamilton will start today’s F1 Sprint in first place and the Mercedes driver paid tribute to the crowd at Silverstone for roaring him on.
The defending champion is without a win in five races but no other driver has won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone more than Hamilton, and he will be back by more than 85,000 fans again today.
“We have been missing this for a whole year,” Hamilton said after Friday’s qualifying session. “I have lost my voice. I am so grateful to see everyone here.
“I was hopeful that with the great work we have done within the team, the energy of the fans would get us there, so this one is for them.
“That first lap was great and the second was looking better, but I lost the back end through the final corner and my heart was in my mouth as I crossed the line.
“But I could see the crowd and it was really reminiscent of my first pole here in 2007. I couldn’t have done it without you guys. It is incredibly special to do it on home turf. There is no greater feeling.”
F1 Sprint qualifying: Starting grid
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6. Lando Norris (McLaren)
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
8. George Russell (Williams)
9. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
11. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
14. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
17. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
18. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
19. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
20. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)
F1 Sprint qualifying: Mercedes boss Wolff identifies “two extremes"
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has warned that there is a chance “nothing happens” in today’s F1 Sprint, as drivers and teams look to stay out of trouble ahead of Sunday’s race.
“There’s two extremes: one, it’s a train, nothing happens apart from maybe an interesting race start, and the other extreme is that interesting cars are being taken out or crash and then obviously you will be missing some protagonists on Sunday.
“I think the main benefit will be that we are three times in prime time, to be Friday night, Saturday and obviously the race on Sunday - and that should be reflected in the ratings and the audiences and that’s good.”
F1 Sprint qualifying: Sebastian Vettel critical of new format
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was critical of the F1 Sprint race when asked for his opinion of the new format on Friday.
“So pole goes to the winner of the sprint race? That is wrong,” Vettel said. “Pole is the fastest lap time achieved or the fastest lap time in qualifying. It is all a bit confusing.
“If this is a one-off then it doesn’t do much harm. But if we end up having 10 sprint races next year or in the future, then I think it’s just a bit weird.”
Vettel expressed concerns that the F1 Sprint format could devalue past pole positions, a sentiment shared by former world champion Nico Rosberg.
“This is not the right decision. Pole 100 per cent has to go to the fastest guy in qualifying,” Rosberg said. “The sprint race winner should not be awarded pole position. That will totally cannibalise the historic F1 statistics,.”
What is F1 sprint qualifying and how does it work?
F1 Sprint is essentially a mini race over 100km, which at Silverstone works out to be 17 laps.
The race is expected to last around 30 minutes and is designed to be a short and sharp race for the line, without planned tyre changes or pit-stop strategies.
There are also points up for grabs: three for first, two for second and one for third, which will of course count towards both the drivers and constructors standings.
The starting order of the F1 Sprint was determined by the traditional knockout qualifying format, which was staged last night.
Lewis Hamilton secured top spot ahead of Max Verstappen, but he will have to cross the finish line first this afternoon in order to secure pole position for Sunday’s race.
F1 Sprint qualifying
F1 is ushering in the biggest change to its weekend format in the modern era with Saturday's Sprint - one third distance of a traditional race - to determine the grid for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
Qualifying took place at 6pm on Friday and saw Lewis Hamilton's triumph greeted with a huge roar by the 86,000-strong crowd at Silverstone as he edged out championship rival Max Verstappen by 0.075 seconds.
Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas qualified third in the other Mercedes ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton has not won for two months and has seen Verstappen waltz to four wins from five to establish a 32-point cushion in the title race.
But he heads into the remainder of the weekend, starting with Saturday's 17-lap dash, in a strong position.
Follow all the latest action and results today.
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