The exhilarating qualifying at Silverstone is the emblem of how many different nuances the concept of speed can have. The Verstappen-Red Bull pairing is the perfect synthesis between incisiveness in fast corners, the real strength of the surprising McLaren, and speed on the straight, an area where Ferrari and Aston Martin once again show off. Mercedes on the other hand, without shining in either aspect, closed the English Saturday as fourth force.
The McLaren Lightning
The Woking stable monopolizes the front row of the others, behind the usual – but not diminished – Max Verstappen. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri praise an MCL60 apparently reinvigorated by updates of the last two races, affecting the entire aerodynamics. However, the real test of McLaren’s progress will be the race, with tire degradation having always been critical for the team. The simulations on Friday, however, instill confidence.
Impossible to deny the progress made with development, but at McLaren it is important not to give in to understandable enthusiasm. Also in Barcelona the MCL60 had distinguished itself in qualifying, only to shut down on Sunday. Silverstone qualifying also has enhanced the strong points of the McLaren 2023starting from the wet conditions where the MCL60 immediately manages to turn the tires on, with the complicity of Norris who is usually thrilled on wet mixed terrain.
Since the beginning of the season, the MCL60 has been at its best in the high-speed corners, which are abundant at Silverstone. Instead, it is at low mileage, when the car travels far from the ground and with high yaw angles, that McLaren struggles to release load. The Woking single-seater also still suffers from poor aerodynamic efficiency, scoring the slowest passages in the straight line in Q3. The British one is a competitive car in the fastest cornersbut in order to constantly come back in front, the other faces of speed will also have to be adopted.
Ferrari finds himself on the straight
A year ago the Prancing Horse took victory at Silverstone. The F1-75 was a car with a lot of speed in the cargo corners, which was contrasted with a significant delay in the straight. The SF-23 in English guise instead is among the best performing cars on the straight, with the complicity of the latest updates. The beam-wing and diffuser novelties recall the Red Bull geometries, with the suspicion that the study on the RB19 super-DRS will continue in Maranello.
However, qualifying for the Reds ended with a touch of disappointment, with some mistakes by the riders in Q3 which precluded a potential front row. In the race, as well as dealing with the McLaren obstacle, Ferrari will have to defend itself from the race pace Mercedes, definitely in better shape than on Friday. The Brackley team had been caught off guard in FP2 by the overheating of the soft tires after he failed to fit the softer compound in FP1 to test the updates with a constant reference.
Mercedes benefited from the drop in temperatures on Saturday, with the track 20°C cooler than on Friday. The new front wing performed according to expectations, which unfortunately were not enough to launch the challenge to the top of the class. The W14 remains distant from both the fast cornering performance of the McLaren and the sharp straight lines of the Ferrari. To emerge victorious from the fight for second place, a general recovery will be necessary.
Red Bull first in class
The Verstappen-RB19 duo exemplify full speed, with a supremacy that extends from the straights to the fast corners, passing through the hairpins. The technical advantage of Milton Keynes is such that the Dutchman still doesn’t take too many risks while driving, keeping a certain margin. This is demonstrated by the ease with which the world champion immediately manages to find the time at the beginning of the various sessions and in all conditions. The awareness of having an advantage that is difficult to scratch also shines through in the smiles in the pits, where a few minutes before qualifying the mechanics exchange little jokes in an atmosphere of great superiority.
Only shadow is yet another elimination in Q1 by Sergio Perez. It could be pointed out that the Mexican had the disadvantage of being the first to cross the finish line in a moment of great evolution on the track. However, one could also answer that immediately behind him Albon qualified in seventh position. Part of the responsibility for the recent results on Saturday obviously belongs to Perez, but one can only wonder if the team doesn’t have the same responsibility, failing to put its rider in the best conditions. A problem not purely of a technical nature, but also a psychological one.
The other Brits
Albon, Alonso and Gasly close the top-10. Both the Williams and Aston Martin of Silverstone are other fine embodiments of straight-line speed. Speed on the straight has never been the strong point of the AMR23, which to find speed runs to England with an extremely low-charge package, of which the the rear wing of Baku. However, the choice comes to the detriment of the mileage in the loaded bends, generating quite a few concerns regarding tire management in view of the race.
Williams on the other hand, it has always been competitive on the straights, also a consequence of a car with significant aerodynamic load deficiencies. However, the result of the Silverstone qualifying is not only the result of sharp points on the straight, but of a well-balanced and aerodynamically efficient car that is now able to defend itself even in the most driven sections. Above all, the slow passages are surprising, where the FW45 shows good traction. Looking at the performance in Canada and Austria, indications are that the massive belly and bottom update introduced in June is starting to pay off. For the more than 100,000 spectators expected at Silverstone for the race, it will be tough to divide cheers among so many rising British teams.
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