Heavy rain falls ahead of the British Grand Prix, with Verstappen on pole

By Canadian Press on July 6, 2025.

SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Persistent heavy rain fell at Silverstone on Sunday morning ahead of the British Grand Prix as reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen prepared to start on pole position, with title rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris close behind.

If the rain continues, it will mix up teams’ strategies for the race. Saturday’s qualifying and all three practice sessions were run in dry conditions.

Red Bull’s Verstappen had struggled in practice but found extra pace in qualifying to take pole ahead of McLaren’s Piastri and Norris, who both made small but costly mistakes.

It could be a hectic fight for the win with Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari all showing strong pace in qualifying, with the top six cars covered by just 0.229 of a second.

The leading contenders are using contrasting setups which mean different strengths and weaknesses at various points on the track. Verstappen’s car in particular sacrifices grip through the corners for top speed on the straights.

Piastri leads the standings by 15 points from Norris, the winner of last week’s Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen a distant third, 61 points off the lead.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

James Ellingworth, The Associated Press