F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix qualifying LIVE: Latest updates as Lewis Hamilton goes for pole position
Follow the latest updates from qualifying for F1’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix
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Follow the latest updates live from qualifying for F1’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton will be bidding to clinch his fourth consecutive pole position fresh from his victory at Silverstone last weekend.
The reigning champion is romping clear at the top of the table, with last Sunday's British Grand Prix triumph putting him 30 points ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the world championship standings. After dominating last weekend, the two Mercs go into the session as red hot favourites to continue their dominance, but the hot weather that has baked Britain this weekend has been causing havoc with the Pirelli tyres.
As a result, the likes of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo in the Renault will harbour hopes of an upset this afternoon, while Ferrari look in store for another difficult weekend. Follow the live updates below.
When is qualifying?
Qualifying for the F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix begins at 2pm on Saturday 8 August.
When is the race?
The F1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 9 August from 2:10pm BST.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of qualifying for F1's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, brought to live this afternoon as the action gets underway at Silverstone.
What a weekend it's already been at Silverstone - where to start?!
On Friday morning we got confirmation that Sergio Perez would not be allowed to race once again after he tested positive for coronavirus. Although the Mexican has served his seven days in isolation, he still had traces of the virus in his system, meaning he would not be admitted to the paddock. It means that Nico Hulkenberg remains in the Racing Point seat this weekend, and after last week's false start, hopefully he will be able to actually see the start of the race this time around.
However, the news got worse for Racing Point when they were deducted 15 points and fined €400,000 after the FIA upheld Renault's protest against their brake ducts, which have been proven to be a copy of that on last season's Mercedes.
That saga is far from over, with teams ready to appeal the verdict as Racing Point have been allowed to continue using the brake ducts for the rest of the season.
Finally, the tyres! The preferred tyre of choice at most races is the soft compound tyres, but the hot weather that is baking Britain combined with the demanding Silverstone circuit means that they are eating themselves in a matter of laps, which will make them virtually unusable in the race tomorrow. However, they remain the best option for final qualifying, but drivers will have to manage them in order to protect the grip levels at the end of the lap.
Here's the latest on the messy situation regarding the Racing Point verdict that really has the potential to dominate the remainder of the season, with five teams ready to appeal the verdict.
PredictionIt's been Hamilton, Hamilton, Hamilton so far this weekend with the Mercedes driver topping all three practice sessions at Silverstone, laying down the gauntlet to Valtteri Bottas in the battle to be the best.
The Finn has struggled to get himself on equal terms with Hamilton so far this season, and last weekend's late drama cost him a precious haul of 18 points that leaves him staring at a huge gap in the drivers' standings.
However, Hamilton is simply mighty at Silverstone, and if he avoids any drama today, expect him to come out on top once again.
Best of the restIn third practice this morning it was Lando Norris in the McLaren who followed the two Mercedes, with Max Verstappen unable to get a solid lap in as he was blocked on his flying lap by a slow-moving Lance Stroll, who remains under investigation for the incident. However, the star driver was undeniably Nico Hulkenberg, who managed to put his Racing Point in fourth place ahead of teammate Stroll and Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
Could it be that Hulkenberg not only out-qualifies his teammate, but manages to put it on third on the grid?
Q1The two Haas's of Grosjean and Magnussen are the first out on track, and embark on a very slow out-lap that everyone will have to do to keep the life in their tyres.
Q1Magnussen lights up the board with purple sectors - mainly because he's the first to set a time. Grosjean behind him is going a long nicely though and looks to be on a faster lap than his Haas teammate, and indeed Grosjean goes 0.342s faster with a 1:28.456. That's not exactly fast mind, and they'll definitely be candidates for Q1 elimination.
Q1Hulkenberg immediately goes 1.1s faster than the Haas pair, and sets the benchmark with a 1:27.279.
Q1
It's round one to Bottas as his opening lap is 0.056s faster than Hamilton, but neither of them are as fast as Max Verstappen who goes fastest with a 1:27.154 to show the true pace of the Red Bull. Nice.
Q1It's not so good for Alex Albon though, who is an alarming 1.3s slower than his Red Bull teammate.
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