F1 Today | Stella can't withdstand Verstappen's might, Verstappen and Red Bull coked at Silverstone: here's how

Max Verstappen pulled off a late-session masterclass to take pole position at Silverstone, edging out both McLaren drivers in the dying seconds of Q3. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had looked strong, but Verstappen’s final lap was simply too good, even if the margin was trimmed in the final sector. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella wasn’t surprised in the slightest, saying, “I stopped being impressed by Max… he can do anything.”

Speaking to Viaplay, Stella acknowledged Verstappen’s brilliance while also applauding his own drivers for locking out P2 and P3. George Russell slotted into P4, splitting the McLarens from Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari in P5. “There’s more gap between pole and second than between second and fifth, so well done to Max,” Stella concluded.

Max Verstappen turned a messy start to the British GP weekend into a pole position masterpiece, overcoming balance issues and an unpredictable RB21 to claim top spot for Sunday’s race. After struggling with major understeer on Friday, Red Bull made significant overnight changes, including a switch to a lower-downforce rear wing and the debut of a new floor upgrade. “We just keep learning, keep trying to be better,” Verstappen said post-qualifying to media including GPblog.

The lower-downforce setup gave Verstappen straight-line speed, helping neutralise his earlier struggles, even if it made the car trickier through Silverstone’s fast corners. “It’s light on downforce for sure,” he admitted, “but it seemed to hold on.” Whether it was Red Bull’s technical response or Verstappen’s ability to adapt, the combination proved just enough to snatch pole from the McLarens.