F1 British Grand Prix: Max Verstappen damage costly as Lando Norris battles Lewis Hamilton - Five things you may have missed from Silverstone qualifying

British Grand Prix

Verstappen damage costly as Norris battles Hamilton - Five things you may have missed from Silverstone GP qualifying

Key moments which may have gone under the radar at Silverstone

By Kevin McKenna.

Sunday 7 July 2024 04:00

Three Brits stole the show during qualifying on rain-soaked Silverstone circuit at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton locked out the front row, with McLaren compatriot Lando Norris sounding off the top three.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen could only qualify P4, giving him plenty of work to do on Sunday as he looks to extend his lead at the top of the drivers' standings.

With so much going on, it may have been hard to keep track of every noteworthy incident.

Luckily GPFans were on hand to keep an eye out for any moments which may have flown under the radar on an action-packed afternoon.

Ricciardo almost joins Perez in the pits

Daniel Ricciardo almost joined Sergio Perez in the pits during Q1

Sergio Perez's season just keeps going from bad to worse after causing a red flag in Q1.

Article continues under video

The 29-year-old made a disastrous early exit, losing control of his car at Copse and sliding into the gravel, meaning he will start Sunday's race in P19.

Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, was a little more fortunate.

The Australian, seemingly distracted by what he'd seen unfold in front of him, came dangerously close to joining Perez in the gravel before making a late recovery to steer his Visa Cash App RB back on track.

That lucky escape at least enabled the ex-Red Bull star to progress to Q2, but he was left disappointed with a P15 finish.

Verstappen avoids disaster

Max Verstappen could only qualify P4 after suffering floor damage

Three-time champion Verstappen almost joined his team-mate in the pits after going off track at the same spot just moments after the restart.

The 26-year-old was able to recover in the nick of time, but replays showed his car was put through the wringer as fought to avoid a nasty spin.

The Dutchman - who has won just once at Silverstone - suffered some floor damage as a result, which may gone some way to explaining why why he was left so far off the pace of his rivals in Q3.

His performance, however, shows that even on a bad day, Verstappen is better than most.

Red means stop, Lance

Lance Stroll was reprimanded by the FIA after exiting the pits under a red light

Perez's blunder appeared to filter down to the rest of the grid, with Aston Martin star Lance Stroll reprimanded by the FIA for an entirely avoidable mistake.

The Canadian - who recently signed a new contract with the British team - crossed the pit exit while the red light was still on in the aftermath of the incident.

Stroll has scored points in just four times in 2024, but he will start P8 on Sunday after an increasingly rare positive qualifying session, putting him in prime position to change that statistic.

Porpoising poses Ferrari problems

Charles Leclerc made an early exit in Q2 at Silverstone

What has happened to Ferrari? Charles Leclerc's emotional win in Monaco seems a lifetime ago, with the team suffering a series of poor results ever since.

Fresh from his miserable weekend in Austria, Leclerc was once again left scratching his head after failing to get out of Q2.

Questions have been raised in recent weeks regarding the car floor, with porpoising appearing to play a significant role in their struggles.

Footage from Silverstone showed both Ferrari's bouncing around on the corners throughout qualifying, with Leclerc in particular coming off worst.

Though his team-mate Carlos Sainz did manage to make it to Q3, the Spaniard was never in the running to challenge the top of the order.

It's not the first time porpoising has been an issue for the sport's top drivers. Hamilton was a vocal victim in 2022 as his Mercedes bobbled it's way through the season.

On a positive note, the pair now have something else in common as they look forward to teaming up in 2025.

Norris takes on another champion

Lando Norris wasn't impressed by some of Lewis Hamilton's driving

After last week's drama at the Red Bull Ring, Norris got himself involved in a grapple with another world champion.

As the Brit prepared for his final flying lap in Q2, he was less than impressed with Hamilton, accusing his Mercedes counterpart of 'aggressively' swerving towards him.

The 24-year-old was all smiles by the end of the afternoon though as his thoughts turned to overhauling the eight-time British GP race winner on Sunday.

Starting one spot ahead of Verstappen, Norris has an opportunity to claw back some of the deficit to his title rival.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes McLaren Lando Norris George Russell