2024 F1 British Grand Prix Qualifying results: Russell tops British 1-2-3 at Silverstone

George Russell mastered the drying conditions at Silverstone to take pole in an F1 qualifying for the ages at the 2024 British Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris made it a British 1-2-3 in qualifying for the first time since the South African Grand Prix in 1968.  

Like the drivers, an expectant and unwavering crowd were sent into raptures after braving unpredictable conditions to witness a historic moment in modern British motorsport.  

Qualifying 

Q1 snapshot

Q1 started under damp conditions and Intermediates were the tyre of choice for much of the field.

After the initial runs, it was the Mercedes duo who held the advantage with Lewis Hamilton ahead and Austria race winner George Russell less than a tenth of a second behind. Oscar Piastri slotted into third.

A trip into gravel trap for Sergio Perez signalled the end of his session and brought out the red flags.

With clouds looming above the circuit, drivers queued at the end of the pit lane as they all jostled to be first out on track for the first slick tyre times.

The first of the dry condition running placed Piastri at the top of the times with McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in second and an impressive time for Nico Hulkenberg in third.

Max Verstappen emulated his team-mate by running off the circuit at Copse as he attempted to extract ultimate pace from his Red Bull. Unlike Perez, he was able to continue but suffered damage to the aerodynamic elements of his floor.

As the timer ticked down to zero, Hamilton was quickest with a 1:29.547 with Russell half a second back and Leclerc a further five-tenths behind.

Q2 snapshot

Q2 was a fully dry session but track evolution still played a significant role. After the opening gambits, Norris topped the table with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in second and Piastri in third.

An unexpected time from Fernando Alonso placed him at the top of the times, albeit briefly before another headline time for Hulkenberg placed him ahead of Piastri and Sainz.

It wasn’t long before the Mercedes duo was back on top with Russell and Hamilton separated by the smallest of margins once again – four thousandths – at the top of the table.

At the chequered flag, Norris pipped his compatriots to the fastest Q2 time while Alonso and Piastri got in between Russell and Hamilton.

Q3 snapshot

With three British drivers in with a shout of pole, Q3 promised a thrilling spectacle and it delivered in the first sector. Hamilton, Sainz, Piastri, Norris and Verstappen were all within a tenth of one another in Sector 1 of their first laps.

After the first attempts, it was Russell who held a slim advantage of six thousandths over Norris with Hamilton third, Piastri fourth and Verstappen fifth.

Improvements were hard to come by in the final runs as Norris found out to his peril; the smallest mistake at Village caused him to abort his last attempt.

Hamilton went fastest by three-hundredths of a second, but it was Mercedes team-mate George Russell who eventually claimed that all-important pole position by a tenth of a second.

With Hamilton second and Norris third, the Silverstone fans were treated to the first British 1-2-3 in qualifying for over 55 years. Verstappen dragged a damaged Red Bull to fourth on the grid with Piastri in fifth. 

READ MORE: Full qualifying report here

2024 British Grand Prix Qualifying results

DISCOVER: Answers to all of the important questions about F1 at Silverstone