In dense rain during qualifying for the British Grand Prix, the Spaniard is fastest in a Ferrari. Max Verstappen is slowed down by a yellow flag. Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel disappoint.
Qualifying:
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. surprisingly secured pole position for the British Grand Prix on Sunday (start 4 p.m. CEST) in the rain chaos at Silverstone. For Sainz, it is the first pole of his career at his 150th Formula 1 Grand Prix. The Spaniard prevailed under adverse conditions on the traditional track against world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and his teammate Charles Leclerc. Verstappen was also very fast on the last fast lap in the last qualifying section, but was slowed down because yellow flags were waved after Leclerc spun. The Dutchman had to slow down and the chance of first place on the grid was gone.
Ex-world champions Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher experienced a minor disaster. One day before his 35th birthday, Vettel only finished 18th in his Aston Martin, Schumacher was penultimate – a major setback for the Haas driver, who actually wanted to aim for his first World Championship points on Sunday. Better weather is expected for the race, the more difficult it will be to make up positions.
Voices:
Carlos Sainz jr. (Ferrari): “It was a good lap. I had a lot of problems with the standing water on the racing line. It was difficult to get the temperature in the tires in these conditions. I actually thought the lap was nothing special. I was surprised that it was enough for the poile.”
Max Verstappen (Red Bull): “It was quite a difficult qualifying session. You had to be on the track at the right time, Carlos did that well. In Q3 it's a lottery sometimes. I was a bit unlucky with the yellow flag on the last fast lap.”< /p>
Mick Schumacher (Haas): “We had a problem with the car. The steering wheel was quite far to the left. This caused us to have extremely high understeer and oversteer in other corners. It's not what we hoped for.”
Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin):“I don't think we had the same problem as in Canada. But being out so early again is bitter and of course I'm disappointed. We just don't have the speed. Even in the dry it wasn't like that We flew. It's going to be difficult.”
Route info:
The former airfield of the British Air Force is the cradle of Formula 1. In May 1950, the first Grand Prix was held at Silverstone discharged. Since then, the “Home of British Motor Racing” has been one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. Lots of rapid curves and the high proportion of full throttle demand a lot of courage from the pilots. Passages like “Copse”, “Maggotts”, “Becketts” or “Chapel” have long been legend. The motor sport heart of the country beats around Silverstone. Six out of ten racing teams have their team headquarters on the island and therefore regard the Grand Prix as a home game. For Sebastian Vettel it is only a short walk from the Aston Martin racing factory to the entrance to the race track.
asz (SID, dpa)