SILVERSTONE, England: The home crowd had three reasons to cheer when George Russell narrowly beat Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to take pole position for the British Grand Prix, and Lando Norris was third quickest for McLaren on Saturday.
It was all about the Brits at Silverstone, with Formula 1 leader Max Verstappen taking a rare back seat and qualifying in fourth for Red Bull.
“The crowd gives us so much energy. I don’t think Silverstone could have dreamt of (this),” a jubilant Russell said. “Three Brits in the top three, we love the support and we can’t wait for the race tomorrow.”
Russell is perfectly poised to aim for a second straight F1 win following his victory at the Austrian GP last weekend. Mercedes is showing signs of closing the gap in terms of speed, and team principal Toto Wolff clenched his fist after his drivers secured a 1-2.
“What a feeling. This is just mega,” Russell said. “The car at the moment is feeling so, so good. We are riding this wave and absolutely buzzing.”
Russell arrived at the track wearing an England soccer shirt ahead of the national team’s European Championship quarterfinal against Switzerland later Saturday, and said his own nerves were on edge.
“Probably the most pressure I’ve ever felt in a qualifying session,” he said, praising the crowd for uplifting him. “I wasn’t feeling that confident with myself.”
Hamilton just missed out on a record-extending 105th F1 pole by .171 seconds while Norris was .211 seconds behind Russell, who secured his second pole of the season and third of his career.
“Three Brits in the top three is incredible,” said Hamilton, who has won at Silverstone a record eight times. “This is huge for us (Mercedes). The car felt great.”
Sergio Perez’s poor run of form for Red Bull continued. He went off track at Copse corner and into the gravel during Q1 — the first part of qualifying — prompting team principal Christian Horner to shake his head. Perez’s car was removed by a crane as the Mexican driver looked on.
Since being given a two-year contract extension last month, Perez has not finished higher than seventh in three races and faces a difficult task to score points from 19th spot.
When qualifying resumed dark clouds were forming over the six-kilometer (3.7-mile) circuit.
Verstappen uttered an expletive over the team radio after momentarily sliding off track and riding over some gravel. He was way off the pace in Q1, which was led by Hamilton, and again in Q2, which Norris led.
Verstappen missed out on a ninth pole of the season. But he praised his team for fixing damage to the car floor from going over the gravel.
“I gave it everything. Guys, thank you very much,” the Dutchman said on radio. “We’ll go at it tomorrow.”
It was a frustrating day for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who failed to make it into Q3, the top 10 shootout, and starts 11th.
“I had huge problems with balance,” said Leclerc, who won the Monaco GP from pole in May.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri goes from fifth followed by Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, with Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams) and two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) rounding out the top 10.
French driver Esteban Ocon qualified in 18th and called qualifying “embarrassing” for the Alpine team. He is leaving at the end of the year and reportedly could join Haas.
Earlier Saturday, a rainy third session saw an early red flag when Alpine driver Pierre Gasly went into the gravel.
Russell led P3 narrowly ahead of Hamilton in a sign of things to come.
“To compete with the McLarens and Red Bulls is a great feeling, a massive boost,” said Hamilton, who won the last of his record 103 F1 races in the penultimate race of 2021.
Norris led the two practices on Friday with Verstappen finishing out of the top three both times.
In Sunday’s race, the start could prove crucial.
Norris has to get past two Mercedes and hold off Verstappen alongside him, one week after Verstappen and Norris crashed into each other late on in Austria.
“I can bring the fight to George and Lewis so I’m excited to put on a good show,” Norris said. “I’m confident we can execute a good race.”
Three cheers for Brits: Russell beats Hamilton to take Silverstone F1 pole with Norris third
https://arab.news/n5e7u
Three cheers for Brits: Russell beats Hamilton to take Silverstone F1 pole with Norris third
- Russell is perfectly poised to aim for a second straight F1 win following his victory at the Austrian GP last weekend
Saudi cricketers hail learning experience during this year’s ILT20 season
- The tournament, which concluded on Jan. 4 with Desert Vipers lifting the title at Dubai International Stadium, saw Saudi players compete in high-performance environments
- Trained under renowned international coaches, experience they say will be taken back home to support the continued growth of cricket in the Kingdom
LONDON: Saudi Arabian cricketers have spoken of the invaluable learning and exposure gained during International League T20 this year, after featuring across six franchises alongside some of the world’s leading players.
The tournament, which concluded on Jan. 4 with Desert Vipers lifting the title at Dubai International Stadium, saw Saudi players compete in high-performance environments and train under renowned international coaches — experience they say will be taken back home to support the continued growth of cricket in the Kingdom.
Desert Vipers’ Faisal Khan, Saudi Arabia’s leading T20I run-scorer with 1,743 runs in 61 matches, said the experience had been a major step forward in his career.
“It is a great opportunity to be part of a franchise like Desert Vipers, and I consider myself lucky to be here. I am learning a lot from the coaches and senior players, and the experience at this level is very different,” he said.
“Playing alongside top players teaches you how to take the game to the next level and how to finish matches. I would also like to thank the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation for this opportunity, and I will continue to work hard and improve.”
Gulf Giants bowler Ishtiaq Ahmed, Saudi Arabia’s leading T20I wicket-taker with 69 wickets in 51 matches, highlighted the impact of working with elite coaches.
“This has been a very good opportunity for me and for players from the region. We are learning a great deal from the coaches and from senior players,” he said.
“Shane Bond is our bowling coach, he has been a fantastic bowler for New Zealand, and I am getting a chance to learn from him, and he helps us in whatever way he can. I also get along very well with Rahmanullah Gurbaz. It has been a good step for us and for Saudi cricket, and a very good experience overall.”
Sharjah Warriorz all-rounder Abdul Salman Khan said the learning environment had delivered immediate results.
“I was very excited from the first day we joined the camp. Experienced figures like JP Duminy (head coach) and Adil Rashid made us feel welcome and helped us learn, and we are already seeing positive changes in our game,” he said.
“Training and competing with Sikandar Raza has been especially enjoyable and challenging. Battling with him pushes you to raise your level, and it’s an experience we hope to pass on to younger players in the future.”
Dubai Capitals’ Usman Najeeb also highlighted the importance of elite mentorship, adding: “I have learned a lot during my time here. I am proud to represent Saudi Arabia here. Training with experienced players has helped me improve, and I am grateful to Munaf Patel (team mentor) for his guidance on how I need to improve.”
He said: “I still have work to do, but I will keep pushing myself and implement everything I have learned to take Saudi Arabian cricket forward.”
MI Emirates’ Zain Abidin said the exposure would benefit domestic cricket back home.
“It has been a wonderful experience, and we are learning many new things that will help us when we return to Saudi Arabia and play our domestic cricket,” he said.
“Bowling to and interacting with the big players in the nets and in the dressing room has been very valuable. We constantly ask questions and take tips from them, and it is something we look forward to sharing with other players back home to help Saudi cricket grow,” he added.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders wicketkeeper-batter Abdul Manan described working with head coach Dwayne Bravo as his standout moment of the season.
“I am grateful to the franchise and ILT20 for this opportunity, which has been an important step in my career. Training in different match situations has helped me gain valuable experience that will benefit me going forward,” he said.
“Working closely with head coach DJ Bravo has been special. Learning from someone I used to watch on television, and receiving guidance as a wicketkeeper-batter, has been both enjoyable and extremely valuable.”
