Lewis Hamilton had a clear shot at a dream pole position at the British Grand Prix, but he ended up fifth on the grid. Max Verstappen surprisingly set the pace after struggling in practice.
Hamilton had impressed in practice and set the pace in Q2, but only found a hundredth of a second in Q3. After a purple sector one, he ended up trailing Verstappen, the two McLarens and an overachieving Mercedes of George Russell.
Outqualifying Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc (P6) for the third time in four races will be little consolation. But he still can’t be ruled out of contention for Sunday’s race.
Hamilton’s best grid spot as a Ferrari driver remains his P4 from Austria. His only ‘pole’ so far came in the China Sprint.
Martin Brundle says Lewis Hamilton pushed too hard at end of British Grand Prix qualifying lap
Speaking after Hamilton crossed the line, Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle said he was uncharacteristically ‘scruffy’ as he navigated the final chicane and the approach to his eponymous straight.
“Little bit scruffy for Lewis, unusual for him, pushing really hard,” Brundle said.
Replays showed that Hamilton dipped a wheel on the outside grass at the final major braking zone. He was furiously working the steering wheel after carrying too much speed.
Brundle says the 40-year-old was understandably chasing an ‘impossible’ sector time. Oscar Piastri also had a snap of oversteer at the final corner, with Verstappen rewarded for being the ‘tidiest’ driver.
“Just generally trying to fight the car a little bit, and you can understand why,” said Brundle. “He’s just generally trying to find an impossible sector time, but it was Verstappen who was the neatest, the tidiest, the most accurate, threaded the needle best, while the others made little tiny errors here and there.”
Ferrari engineer agrees with Martin Brundle’s verdict on Lewis Hamilton
When Hamilton asked Ferrari engineer Riccardo Adami to confirm his position, he was informed that ‘only [the] last corner’ had prevented him from taking pole. When he reviews the footage, the seven-time world champion may agree that he was too aggressive.
There may have been an element of desperation at play. Pole here would have been a narrative-shifting result in the midst of a disappointing debut season at Ferrari.
Russell remarked upon Hamilton’s tyre management during practice, and Ferrari looked like contenders on the long runs. Gaining a place or two at the start could change the picture.
Hamilton has only once won the British Grand Prix from outside the top four, fighting back from sixth in 2014. He had the luxury of a dominant car that year, and teammate Nico Rosberg retired.
