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It has been a disappointing weekend so far for the Scuderia AlphaTauri team at the 2021 British Grand Prix. Both the drivers will start outside the top ten positions. Pierre Gasly has consistently qualified in the top ten positions this season. But in Friday’s qualification, the Frenchman was eliminated before the final qualification session as he finished in twelfth position.

Gasly did not improve his position in the Sprint Qualifying race and will start in twelfth position in the race. Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated after the first qualification session as he finished in sixteenth position. Tsunoda did not improve on this position in the Sprint Qualifying race.

Jody Egginton, the Technical DIrector of the AlphaTauri team, was disappointed with the performance and said: “Today was always going to be a challenge. With yesterday’s Qualifying not quite going to plan for the team, both cars were starting out of position in today’s Sprint Qualifying and that was always going to be tricky.

“As expected, a train of cars formed that we needed to make our way through and unfortunately, that just wasn’t possible today. It’s not been a fantastic day for us, so we’ve just got to see if we can recover it tomorrow in the longer race. It’s been difficult for us this weekend so far, compared to our normal performance, so there’s lots of data to review tonight and we’ll see if we can extract anything further from the car tomorrow.”  

The AlphaTauri team lies in fifth position in the constructors’ championship and is in a close fight with the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team and the Alpine F1 team and will hope that they are able to recover during the race and not yield ground to these two teams.

It has been a disappointing weekend so far for the Scuderia AlphaTauri team at the 2021 British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. Both drivers, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda,finished the Sprint Qualifying race in the same position they started.

Gasly has consistently qualified and started the race in the top ten positions this season. But he ended Friday qualification in twelfth position only. The Frenchman did not improve during the Sprint race and finished in twelfth position only. A disappointing Gasly said: “I’m quite frustrated this evening, it was just not what we wanted out there today. We started this weekend badly in FP1 and with only one practice session we couldn’t really react to that ahead of Qualifying, then today I’ve really struggled again.

“It’s very disappointing because I know the car has much more potential but so far, we just haven’t managed to get it working here this weekend. We will look at all the data tonight and try everything we can to make our way up to the points in the tomorrow’s race.”

Yuki Tsunoda: “We’ve struggled with the performance of the car this whole weekend”

Yuki Tsunoda had a disappointing Friday qualification when he was eliminated in the first session itself (Q1). The Sprint Qualifying race did not help him improve his position as he finished where he started in sixteenth position. Tsunoda said: “I’m obviously disappointed with today’s performance, I’m not finishing in a position that I’m happy with and I’m then starting the race tomorrow from the same place.

“I feel that this weekend’s format is quite difficult for rookies, as you only have one free practice session before Qualifying, which is tough, but I hope the spectators enjoyed this new schedule. We’ve struggled with the performance of the car this whole weekend, so we just need to go away tonight and review the data so we can learn more for tomorrow’s race.”

Mario Isola was pleased to see some drivers gamble on running the soft tyre during Saturday’s first-ever Sprint Qualifying race at Silverstone, although the majority of the field went for the expected medium compound.

Valtteri Bottas was the leading driver to gamble on the soft from third on the grid, although the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver was unable to make any progress from his grid slot before dropping away from the leading duo of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps.

Fernando Alonso was one to make early progress on the soft tyre, moving up from eleventh on the grid to run fifth.  However, like Bottas, he struggled to keep life in the tyre and fell behind the two McLaren F1 Team drivers to finish seventh.  His Alpine F1 Team team-mate Esteban Ocon and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN’s Kimi Räikkönen also opted for the softs and made gains from their starting slots.

Isola, the Head of F1 and Car Racing at Pirelli Motorsport, expects the medium and hard compounds to be the favoured options during Sunday’s full-length British Grand Prix, but he was delighted to see strategy play a part in the seventeen-lap sprint to the chequered flag on Saturday.

“Today was a chance to try something different with the first sprint qualifying, and although it was a short race, we already saw some different tactics on the grid with four drivers going against the trend and selecting the soft tyre – including Bottas who started and finished third,” said Isola.  

Guanyu Zhou recovered a torrid weekend by taking victory in the FIA Formula 2 feature race at Silverstone to keep title rival Oscar Piastri within reach.

The Alpine academy duo started alongside each other on the front row after Piastri blitzed qualifying on Friday but the Chinese driver got the better launch off the line to lead into turn one.

And a clean pit stop, combined with consistently quick race pace, meant no one could get close to the UNI-Virtuosi car as he claimed a handsome win.

Piastri lost out on second to close the gap at the top of the standings even closer after he pitted a lap later than Carlin’s Dan Ticktum. The Brit, at his home race, got his tyres up to temperature in rapid fashion to ensure he could make the pass on Piastri when he pitted a lap later and he pulled away to earn a spot on the podium.

Piastri was put under pressure late on as Richard Verschoor, on slightly fresher hard tyres, tried to make his way back onto the podium after his sprint race win the day before but he couldn’t make a move stick on the PREMA and settled for fourth.

Frédéric Vasseur said it was positive to come away from the first-ever Sprint Qualifying race with improved grid positions, with Kimi Räikkönen gaining three positions thanks to his start.

Räikkönen started seventeenth after a poor Qualifying performance on Friday evening but using Pirelli’s soft compound he was able to gain two positions at the start, and then he moved up another spot thanks to the spin from Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez on lap seven.

Team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi was less fortunate, losing two positions at the start to run sixteenth, although he also profited from Pérez’s spin to move up to fifteenth, meaning a net loss of one spot.

Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo, says the team can be satisfied with the outcome of Sprint Qualifying as it gives them something to work with during Sunday’s full-length British Grand Prix.

“It was an interesting first experiment with the Sprint Qualifying format, and to come away from it with a gain in terms of grid positions is definitely a positive,” said Vasseur.  “We knew the biggest chance to make up places was at the start and Kimi did really well to make the most of his soft tyres.

George Russell finished in the top ten of a Formula 1 race for the first time in a Williams Racing car, with a ninth-place finish during Saturday’s sprint race at the British Grand Prix.

Russell did well to keep Esteban Ocon at bay to secure ninth but has become victim to a three-place grid penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz Jr. on the opening lap, meaning he will start Sunday’s race in twelfth.

Russell said: “Overall, it was an interesting race, trickier than I anticipated out there keeping the tyres alive for 17 laps. It was very difficult keeping Esteban (Ocon) behind. The Alpine was very fast even on the soft tyre, but we finished ninth on track and my first time in the top-10 with Williams.

“However, it is very unfortunate to get a penalty and I feel that it was a harsh decision. We are still going to be starting in a great position to fight for points tomorrow. We had a really strong race today; it is going to be long race and tyre management will be key, which will be the overriding factor into the result. So, let’s wait and see!“

“There isn’t a lot of tyre management given the distance” – Nicholas Latifi

Nicholas Latifi gained one place during his quiet sprint race. The Canadian driver started in eighteenth but was able to climb to a starting position of seventeenth for Sunday’s race due to the retirement of Sergio Pérez.

Kimi Räikkönen will have his best starting position of the season at Silverstone on Sunday after coming through to finish thirteenth during the first-ever Sprint Qualifying race on Saturday.

The Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN had failed to escape Q1 during Friday evening’s Qualifying session but using the soft Pirelli tyre for the Sprint Qualifying race paid dividends as he was able to make early gains and edge closer to the top ten.

Räikkönen feels he is in contention for points during Sunday’s full-length British Grand Prix thanks to his performance on Saturday, but he knows the race will be long and it will be important to again stay out of trouble.

“We are better off now than we were yesterday, so I’ll take it: I’ll be in my best grid position of the year and I have to be happy about it,” said Räikkönen.  

“We started on the soft, but I don’t know how much there really is in between the two tyres: in the end, it was important to get the launch right and stay out of trouble and we managed to do it, gaining some places.

The Uralkali Haas F1 Team will not have both cars on the last row of the grid for the British Grand Prix, after Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin finished the first ever Formula 1 sprint qualifying in eighteenth and nineteenth respectively. The sprint’s only retirement Sergio Pérez will start last.

It was a very lonely sprint qualifying for both Haas drivers who started the sprint on the last row of the grid, the lonely session was however their own fault. On the opening lap at turn three the two Haas’s came too close for comfort, Nikita Mazepin was sent spinning to avoid colliding with Schumacher.

This put the two drivers far apart from each other and eventually too far away from the rest of the field. With Pérez retiring late on it does mean that at least Schumacher won’t be starting from the last row, it will be interesting to see how long the two Haas drivers can keep Pérez behind.

Team Principal Guenther Steiner enjoyed the first ever sprint qualifying and is all for the event to continue in the future.

“For me personally, this was a good experiment – but it’s not about what I think, it’s about what the fans think. If we come to the conclusion that they like it, then I’m all for it. Our day today was nothing exciting – more of the same I would say – but in the end it was something exciting for this weekend as we had a different format for the race weekend. We learnt something, we have something to think about and we keep a bit of excitement going.”

Mick Schumacher will yet again start a grand prix this season ahead of team-mate Nikita Mazepin, after finishing eighteenth in the first ever Formula 1 sprint qualifying, meaning he will line up in eighteenth place for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.

Due to Sergio Pérez retiring from the sprint race late on, Schumacher will actually start the grand prix a place higher than where he started the sprint. The sprint session itself was pretty lonely for Schumacher who circulated seventeen times around the Silverstone circuit alone.

The sprint may not have been as lonely for Schumacher if it wasn’t for the two Uralkali Haas F1 Team drivers colliding on the first lap at the third corner, thankfully both cars were undamaged.

Overall it was more track-time for Schumacher as he continues to adjust to Formula 1, the German is hoping for some fine-tuning ahead of the main grand prix.

“I think we could fine-tune it here and there to try and make it logistically better for us, to be able to change set-ups etc. – but I think for a first try, it was very good. I think for smaller teams it’s a bit tougher – we have less time, and we have fewer capabilities compared to other teams who have more people. Unfortunately for us, it was quite lonely out there but still interesting. Now it’s up to us to analyse what we can do better to be closer next time.”

Otmar Szafnauer, the CEO and Team Principal of the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team, says a double-points finish for the team in the British Grand Prix is the target after both Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll made progress during the first-ever Sprint Qualifying race on Saturday.

Vettel started tenth on Saturday afternoon and was able to take eighth place at the end of the seventeen-lap race, while Stroll gained one position from his starting spot to take fourteenth.

Szafnauer says Vettel could possibly have taken seventh as he fell in behind Fernando Alonso, who was struggling with the soft Pirelli tyre towards the end of the race, but it was not worth risking what they already had in favour of moving up just one more spot.

“We achieved our objective in today’s Sprint – to make progress with both cars – which we did,” said Szafnauer.  “Lance suffered poor rear grip but nonetheless did extremely well to earn a P14 grid slot for tomorrow’s race.

“Sebastian finished eighth, close behind [Fernando] Alonso, whose Soft tyres were shot by the end, but obviously there was no point in Sebastian risking a back-row start for tomorrow’s race by attempting to wrest P7 from Alonso, especially for no points reward. He will therefore start tomorrow’s race from a solid P8, from where he ought to be able to score points.

The Alpine F1 team had a very successful Sprint Qualifying race at the 2021 British Grand Prix as both drivers gained positions and will start in the top ten positions in the race on Sunday. Fernando Alonso with a blistering start went from eleventh to fifth position at the start.

Alonso finished in seventh position at the end of the race. Esteban Ocon started in thirteenth position and finished in tenth position to gain three places. So it was a good Saturday afternoon for the Alpine F1 team and puts the team in a good position to have a double points finish in the race.

Davide Brivio, the Alpine F1 Team Racing Director, was satisfied with the team’s performance and said: “It was an exciting race for us, so a very positive Sprint qualifying all in all! We decided to start with new Softs, which was a calculated risk, but a good choice from the team. Fernando definitely made the most of the strategy; he did an incredible first lap, gaining six positions in half a lap and then he fought all the way through the race.

“With Esteban we also moved up a few positions, which is important for the actual Grand Prix tomorrow. It was a good job from the drivers and also the whole team and now we need to try to consolidate our positions tomorrow.”

The Alpine F1 team lies in seventh position in the constructors’ championship with 32 points. The team is in a close fight with Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team (44 points) and the Scuderia AlphaTauri team (48 points). A double points finish at the 2021 British Grand Prix will help the team improve its position.

Sebastian Vettel says he has enjoyed the unfamiliar weekend format at Silverstone so far, and he was happy to make up two places from his grid slot during Saturday afternoon’s Sprint Qualifying race.

The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team racer admits he was a little bit disappointed not to finish seventh as he was unable to find a way ahead of Alpine F1 Team’s Fernando Alonso despite the Spaniard running with the soft Pirelli tyre compared to Vettel’s medium tyre.

But Vettel feels eighth gives him and Aston Martin a good chance of scoring points on Sunday, something that eluded him in both races at the Red Bull Ring.

“I have enjoyed this unusual weekend format so far,” said Vettel.  “It was interesting to have the intense moment yesterday evening followed by the Sprint today, which can go either way.

“For us, it went well and we gained some places for the race tomorrow, and some others lost ground. Fernando [Alonso] made up a lot of places on lap one – starting on the Soft tyres – and I thought he would struggle more in the final laps. I was close behind him, but could not make the move to overtake.

Fernando Alonso of the Alpine F1 team with a blistering start gained four places at the end of the Sprint Qualifying race at the 2021 British Grand Prix. In a trademark Alonso start, the Spaniard went from eleventh position to fifth position after a remarkable opening lap.

Alonso then put up a feisty defence of his position before having to concede positions to the two McLaren drivers. In the closing laps, Alonso managed to keep his seventh position after a tough duel with old rival Sebastian Vettel. Alonso was the star of the first Sprint Qualifying and said: “It was a good session for us today and I had a lot of fun. I think we made the right choice starting on the Soft tyres and it’s a better position to start the race tomorrow.

“Our start was good and I climbed quite a few places from eleventh to fifth in the first few corners. We then lost a few positions back to the McLarens and held onto seventh at the end. I think the format was fun but I am sure there are some small improvements we can make. We’ll aim to carry this momentum into the race tomorrow.”

Esteban Ocon: “I’m pretty pleased with today’s Sprint Qualifying”

Esteban Ocon started in thirteenth position and gained three places in the Sprint Qualifying race on Saturday. Ocon needs a good race on Sunday after poor performances in the previous three races.

Ocon said: “I’m pretty pleased with today’s Sprint Qualifying as we’ve gained three places for the race tomorrow and that means we’re starting in the top ten for tomorrow’s race. It’s where we felt we should be yesterday, so that’s positive. The call by the team to start on Softs was good and I had a quick start off the line to gain some positions.

James Key, the Technical Director of the McLaren F1 Team, says everyone at McLaren has enjoyed the challenges posed by the introduction of Sprint Qualifying in Formula 1.

Friday’s running at Silverstone was focused mainly on getting the best out of the car in Qualifying trim, although they had to be aware that parc ferme conditions came into effect earlier than normal, so they could not take their eyes off Saturday’s Sprint Qualifying race nor Sunday’s full-length British Grand Prix.

“The weekend has been a learning curve with a new format based around sprint qualifying, but we’ve enjoyed the fresh challenges this has brought,” said Key.  

“Car specification was frozen for yesterday’s qualifying session, with the parc ferme conditions kicking in early this weekend, which left us with higher fuel levels and tyre compound assessment as the main focus for free practice this morning, both in preparation for the sprint quali and tomorrow’s grand prix.”

Key was pleased with how the Sprint Qualifying race unfolded for McLaren, with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo both moving up a spot from where they qualified on Friday evening.

Lando Norris felt it was a good first Sprint Qualifying race for both himself and the McLaren F1 Team as he was able to gain one position from his starting spot to claim fifth on the grid for the British Grand Prix.

Norris was able to get ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez on the opening lap, and although he fell behind Alpine F1 Team’s Fernando Alonso, he was able to bide his time and find a way ahead of the Spaniard heading into turn three on lap six.

After passing Alonso, it was a quiet run to the chequered flag for the Briton, and he will start fifth on the grid for Sunday’s full-length British Grand Prix where he hopes to continue his strong start to the 2021 Formula 1 season.

“A good first sprint quali race!” said Norris.  “I think we achieved everything we could’ve hoped for today.

“We got ahead of one of the Red Bulls, which is a quicker car, but we managed to beat them off the start and over the first lap, so it was a fun first-half. At the end, it was a quiet finish in clear air on my own.