Max Verstappen has admitted his surprise at the challenge McLaren put forward in British Grand Prix Formula 1 Qualifying as Lando Norris nearly denied him pole position. Norris found 1.5s on his second Q3 lap at Silverstone to provisionally take pole position but Verstappen was still on his final lap. The Red Bull driver pipped Norris by 0.241s to deny him pole in front of his home crowd, but second still represents McLaren's best result of the season in Qualifying, with teammate Oscar Piastri tucking in behind with third. The upgraded MCL60 looked a potent weapon throughout the session, with Verstappen surprised at just how close it was.
Verstappen's surprise
"It's been quite a crazy Qualifying, it's been quite hectic and also quite slippery in some places," Verstappen explained after his 27th career pole position. "We did our laps in Q3 and I was quite surprised to see McLaren there - but it is great for them to be here and from our side, very happy to be on pole position. "There were a few damp spots, so I had to be a little bit careful, but of course, you push the limit because we have a quick car, but you don't go to 100% the limit. In Q3, you really just go for it, we eked out the gap a little bit but it was still not a very big gap to them - but a great day for us and I am looking forward to tomorrow already."
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