British GP starting grid: Oscar Piastri finishes second at qualifying

Oscar Piastri unleashed a near-perfect lap in the wind to pip his biggest title rival to a spot on the front row at qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

Australia’s Oscar Piastri unleashed a near-perfect lap in the wind to pip his teammate and Formula One title rival Lando Norris to qualify alongside defending champion Max Verstappen on the front row of the British Grand Prix.

Piastri looked all set to snatch pole position at the high-speed Silverstone circuit when he posted the fastest time with his first flying lap in the top-10 shootout, only to see Verstappen go a fraction quicker in his Red Bull on his final run.

“I was happy with the first lap. The first time was mega, to be honest,” Piastri said.

“I was trying to think of how I was going to go faster and I didn’t.

“It’s tough. Especially when you think it’s a good lap, you don’t want to overdo it and try and go over the limit. I think it was a couple of corners where maybe I was a bit safe on the way in and tried to make up for it on the way out and it didn’t quite work.”

Currently third in the championship standings but 61 points behind the leader Piastri, Verstappen claimed his fourth pole position in 12 races this season and will be favourite to win the race if he can hold the lead after the first corner, which promises to be a wild ride and test of nerves for the drivers.

He will be joined on the front row of the grid by Piastri while his McLaren team Norris starts third and Mercedes driver George Russell fourth.

For Piastri, his main goal will be to beat Norris, who is his closest rival in the championship standings. The Australian leads by 15 points approaching the halfway point of the 24-round season.

Oscar Piastri will start from second on the grid.

“It’s always little bits,” said Piastri.

“It’s fine margins as we know, but ultimately pretty happy with second on the grid. So, I’m looking forward to a fun race.”

The most consistent driver all season, Piastri has now qualified on the front row seven times in 2025.

In his previous six starts from the front, he has gone on to finish on the podium all but once. The only time he didn’t was in Australia, when he spun in heavy rain and came ninth.

With rain forecast for Silverstone on Sunday, the Australian is in a great position to bag another big haul of points but is also aware of the threats both in front of him and behind.

“It’s going to be a fun race,” Piastri said.

“It’s been very evenly matched between Max, the Ferraris, I saw even George being up there at the end.

“I think it’s going to be a pretty evenly paced race, and all of have us got slightly different strengths.

“Red Bull is very quick in a straight line, we’re going to be quick in the high speed. So yeah, it’s going to be a fun one. That’s all. We’re going to enjoy it.”

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen talks to McLaren's Oscar Piastri after they qualified first and second for the British Grand Prix.

With all the drivers on the limit and battling high winds, Verstappen saved his best for last, getting everything he could out of his car to stop the clock just a tenth of a second faster than the Aussie ace.

“It was tricky out there with the wind,” the Dutchman said. “It was all shifting around a bit. And around here with these cars, it’s extremely sensitive to it.

“But you know, this is a proper track, in qualifying when you have to go flat out in all these corners. It’s really, really committed and that’s really enjoyable.”

Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris will occupy the front three spots on the grid.

Norris has won three races this year, all from pole, but was satisfied with starting from row two at his home Grand Prix, knowing there’s still a long way to go.

“I’m not going to be unhappy with third. Of course I’d love to be on top here in Silverstone, but Max did a good job,” Norris said.

“Qualifying here at Silverstone is pretty fast and it’s enjoyable and good fun. Yeah, not the top but still a good day.

“Little margins, little mistakes, little things. You’re talking a couple of hundredths here and there can win or lose you the game.

“It was so tough, especially with the wind and the conditions. A little bit of rain every now and then. But still, all good fun.”

Originally published as British GP starting grid: Oscar Piastri finishes second at qualifying