A week later, everything changed at Silverstone, the scene of a most anomalous qualifying session. Valtteri Bottas surprised with the 'pole' of the 70th Anniversary GP (1: 25.154) 63 thousandths faster than Lewis Hamilton . The Finn's record, eight tenths worse than the pole position of the British GP, was just one of the strange phenomena on a Saturday where McLaren lost ground to Renault, Force India and Alpha Tauri.

After 11 consecutive appearances in Q3, Carlos Sainz was eliminated in the second screening, so on Sunday he will start thirteenth. The Spaniard complained of overheating problems in his MCL-35, as his rivals progressed hopelessly. Aboard a Pink Mercedes, the always compliant Nico Hulkenberg was giving himself no less than third place, ahead of Max Verstappen .

The 32-year-old German dreams of getting on that damn podium tomorrow that has resisted him for 177 races, more than anyone in history. So far, he has only needed two races to contrast his class against the always unpredictable Lance Stroll , who will start sixth, in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo .

Vettel, out of Q3

You can celebrate in a big way the leader of Renault, so lost for so many months, now determined to battle even with Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel's early elimination in Q2 and eighth-placed Charles Leclerc's problems gave him fifth place on the grid. Between the annoying gusts of wind and the eternal concern about tire degradation there was no way to draw definitive conclusions.

Everything became even more tangled because of Red Bull, knowing that his fortune will always be the result of a coup of audacity. White tires for Verstappen at the start of Q2 stirred spirits in the so-called middle class. Of course there was a lot of risk in that strategy, which meant starting on Sunday also with those hard shoes. However, the Dutchman knew how to handle it to reach, by just two tenths, the Q3.

Gasly, another surprise

Hulkenberg, obstinate in forgetting the break that prevented him from racing last Sunday, had started the afternoon less than half a second behind the Mercedes. And in the second round he could also sneak between Hamilton and Bottas. Among all the surprises, none as striking as that of Pierre Gasly , who first revealed his partner Daniil Kvyat , hiking the curbs of Chapel, and later was confirmed as the fourth in Q2 and seventh, no less, in Q3.

It was one of those Saturdays, it is said, where even Renault could indulge in its luxuries. Ricciardo rode medium tires in his first run of Q3 to finish third, the same as in the second free practice session on Friday. Finally, once again, quote George Russell , able to repeat his weekly feat on the way to Q2 with Williams.

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