Provisional grid British Grand Prix | Verstappen and Norris in front

In the final seconds of qualifying, Lando Norris appeared to drive himself to pole, but the McLaren driver still saw Verstappen dip below his time. The fifth pole for Verstappen in a row, making him the immediate favourite for victory at Silverstone Sunday. Behind Norris was Oscar Piastri - who could also drive with McLaren's updates this time - in third place. He will duel first with Charles Leclerc on Sunday, who had hoped for more than fourth place.

Hamilton faces stiff challenge

In front of his home crowd, Lewis Hamilton will have a big job to do to work his way to the front. The Briton starts seventh. This puts him ahead of Fernando Alonso, who could not impress with his Aston Martin (as in Austria). In any case, a midfield with Hamilton, Alonso and also George Russell is a guarantee for tension and excitement. These seasoned men from the top teams will no doubt be surprised to find Alex Albon standing around them. The Thai delivered yet another top performance with his modest Williams (eighth starting place).

It will not be clear until Sunday morning what the final grid will look like. It is possible that drivers far behind will opt for some adjustments, such as using new engine elements. In that case, they will start from the pit lane. In any case, Valtteri Bottas will start at the back. The Finn was penalised for not having enough fuel in his Alfa Romeo afterwards.

Provisional starting grid for the 2023 British Grand Prix