Max Verstappen scythes his way to pole: 2021 British Grand Prix sprint qualifying round-up

Formula 1 took a step into the unknown as it held its first ever sprint qualifying race in the World Championship’s history – and it was first blood to Max Verstappen whose incredible start saw him get ahead of Lewis Hamilton and stay there. He’ll start on pole tomorrow, with Hamilton second and Valtteri Bottas third.

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo provided an entertaining battle with Fernando Alonso, as Sergio Perez spun out spectacularly from the exit of Becketts.

Max Verstappen, whose brakes were alight as the light went out, got the jump on Lewis Hamilton at the start, leaping from second into the lead as Nikita Mazepin span at the back.

Hamilton tried and failed to back past Verstappen at Copse, the Red Bull opening up a gap of 1.1sec at the end of lap one.

Alonso made an incredible start to jump to fifth, the old hand showing all his experience and utilising the extra grip of the soft tyre, as George Russell and Carlos Sainz made contact, the Williams tipping the Ferrari onto the runoff at the exit of Brooklands.

Perez got into Norris’s slipstream on the start/finish straight on lap three, before Norris managed to close on Alonso down the Hangar Straight, the Alpine weaving as it attempted to break the McLaren’s tow.

Sainz passed Antonio Giovinazzi on the same tour, as Max Verstappen set the fastest lap of 1min 30.357sec.

Norris again closed on the Alpine out of Copse, as the following Perez suddenly had massive spin at high speed coming out of Becketts, hitting the barrier but managing to carry on.

Norris then did get past Alonso up the inside into Village, with team-mate Ricciardo then closing on the Spaniard.

Russell and Sainz went under investigation for the opening lap contact as movement in the field settling down – it was then announced the stewards would review it after the race.