Charles Leclerc had been hoping for a strong result in qualifying for the British Grand Prix. Ferrari had been showing strong pace all weekend.
Teammate Lewis Hamilton topped a practice session for the first time as a Ferrari driver in FP1. The duo continued that pace in FP2, before Leclerc went quickest in FP3, setting up an interesting battle between the Maranello outfit and McLaren.
Lando Norris admitted he is cheering on Hamilton ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix. He is craving more battles with his fellow compatriot as he searches for his maiden win at Silverstone.
Hamilton is gunning for his 10th British GP win in 2025. He is yet to finish on the podium for Ferrari, excluding Sprint races, and will be desperate to end that streak this weekend.
However, it was another disappointing showing from Ferrari in qualifying as they failed to capitalise on the pace they had shown in practice.
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Charles Leclerc attacks himself in explosive radio rant after British Grand Prix qualifying
Ferrari and McLaren looked like a shoo-in for pole position, as Max Verstappen was an outsider in practice. The Red Bull driver had been constantly complaining about the car on Friday as he went P10 in FP1.
However, the 27-year-old came out of nowhere to secure his fourth pole position of the season over Oscar Piastri and Norris. Hamilton looked like he could snatch pole on home soil after setting the quickest time in sector one, but he lost time in the final sector.
The 40-year-old went P5 in the end, as George Russell beat his time in the final seconds. Leclerc locks out an all-Ferrari third row of the grid with sixth, and the Monegasque driver was far from impressed.
He came over his radio to attack himself for a disappointing showing. He swore eight times in a message that was not broadcasted.
“F—. F—. F—. F— THAT. So f—— s— I am. I am so f—— s—. That‘s what I am,” he said.
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Ferrari show they are contention for a strong result at the British Grand Prix
Ferrari will no doubt be disappointed by their result in qualifying at Silverstone. Hamilton and Leclerc had been quick all weekend, but failed to make it count when it mattered.
However, the Maranello outfit can take encouragement from their performance, as they looked to have the pace to match McLaren for arguably the first time this season.
Hamilton’s body language suggested a breakthrough at Ferrari in Austria as he looked ‘slightly more connected’ to the car, especially in qualifying. Being two tenths off the pace of Verstappen in Q3 proved that the team may have found something.
With rain forecast for the race, anything can happen at Silverstone. But it is clear that Ferrari cannot be ruled out for at least a podium on Sunday.
