British GP: Verstappen secures fifth pole in a row

SILVERSTONE: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen seized his fifth pole position in a row at the British GP on Saturday after McLaren’s home hero Lando Norris threatened to pip the runaway Formula One leader to the top slot.

McLaren’s Australian rookie Oscar Piastri qualified third fastest in a big boost for the former champion, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completing the second row.

Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate and closest title rival Sergio Perez qualified only 16th, the fifth race in a row that the Mexican has failed to reach the top-10 shootout.

Perez is already a huge 81 points behind Verstappen after nine races this season, all won by Red Bull, and will face another salvage operation on Sunday. Red Bull has won 10 races in a row, including last season’s finale in Abu Dhabi, and is poised to equal McLaren’s all-time record run of 11 that was set by the late Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988.

Norris looked like he was about to seize pole when he set a timing of one minute, 26.961 seconds right at the end, only for Verstappen to go quicker with his final stellar effort of 1:26.720. “It is always Max. He always ruins everything for everyone,” laughed the 23-year-old Briton, with his good friend Verstappen alongside.

Verstappen is chasing his sixth win in a row and eighth of the season, with a third title already looking an absolute formality. “It is great to see both of them up here,” Verstappen said of Norris and Piastri.