British Grand Prix LIVE: Sainz on pole - Qualifying result, latest F1 news and updates from Silverstone today

British Grand Prix LIVE!

Carlos Sainz edged out Max Verstappen to claim the first pole position of his Formula One career for Sunday's British Grand Prix.

In the rain at Silverstone, Ferrari's Sainz excelled to see off world champion Verstappen by just 0.072 seconds, with Charles Leclerc third in the other scarlet car in a thrilling qualifying session.

Sergio Perez took fourth, with Lewis Hamilton a full second back in fifth - one spot ahead of compatriot Lando Norris, who was sixth for McLaren. Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished eighth.

“Thanks everyone for staying out there in this rain,” said Sainz. “Spaniards struggle with the rain, but you guys are used to it.

“I put together a lap, I did not think it was something special, but it was pole position and that came as a bit of a surprise. The pace has been there all weekend, but if I base myself on my practice pace, we should be in a good position to hold on to first.”

British Grand Prix updates

• Q1: Aston Martin lose both drivers

• Q2: Rain hits session but Latifi through

• Q3: Sainz takes pole in dramatic fashion

Thanks for joining us and we will see you for tomorrow’s race!

16:51 , Marc Mayo

Hopes the rain might dampen Max Verstappen’s dominance this season proved warranted as Carlos Sainz took the first pole position of his F1 career.

The bemused and amused Spaniard, at his 150th grand prix weekend, asked his team over the race radio “no way, I didn’t expect that one... how did I do P1?” as he snatched pole off Verstappen on his last flying lap of the session.

Read the full story.

We cannot forget the main headline of the day!

16:35 , Marc Mayo

Keanu Reeves up next!

16:34 , Marc Mayo

The Hollywood actor is here as a guest of Ross Brawn as a documentary on Brawn’s 2009 season is in the offing.

He says of qualifying: “It was wet but it was thrilling, Silverstone in the rain: perfect! Being that close to it, just seeing the speed and the way they go into and exit the turns is unbelievable.”

Lewis Hamilton gives his take on that session

16:30 , Marc Mayo

“It was definitely an improvement for us, in the dry we wouldn’t have been able to compete for a top three. From fifth it’s going to be tough but I’ll try, I’m a little bit gutted because we had a great crowd and I wanted to fight for pole.”

16:28 , Marc Mayo

Norris reacts to his sixth position

16:26 , Marc Mayo

“Very satisfied. Not the best of jobs by me but good enough. I saved a little bit for the best lap I did, apart from my last lap which I messed up. A lot of porpoising this weekend.”

George Russell gives his reaction

16:22 , Marc Mayo

“As the session progressed, everything sort of got worse. I didn’t have that [confidence] come Q3 when it mattered. We had the pace for P4, P5 but I made a mistake on the last lap.

“Our pace at high fuel come be on par with the guys at the front but starting P8 makes it difficult.”

16:19 , Marc Mayo

Christian Horner telling Sky Sports he reckons a few tenths were lost by Verstappen slowing down for the yellow flag after Leclerc’s spin on the final lap. That may well have been the difference in pole position.

16:12 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc up next

16:09 , Marc Mayo

“I’m happy for Carlos, he did a great job. I spun on my last lap and I didn’t deserve to be on pole, P3 is still a good position to start. Hopefully putting everything together we can get it back. The base is there, if we have a clean race it should go well.”

Verstappen gives his take

16:08 , Marc Mayo

“It was quite a tricky qualifying, raining, drying. You had to be on the track at the right time but overall the car was working really well. Q3 can be a bit of a lottery and I got a bit hindered on my final lap with the yellow flag.”

Sainz reacts

16:07 , Marc Mayo

“Thanks to the fans, it was a good lap but I was struggling a lot with the standing water on the racing line. In the end I put together a lap that I thought was nothing special but it was pole position, which was a bit of a surprise.

“The pace has been there all weekend, I’m sure Max and Charles will put a lot of pressure but I will try my best.”

Sainz’s first pole in his 150th GP!

16:05 , Marc Mayo

16:04 , Marc Mayo

A late Perez lap secures fourth for the Mexican, with Leclerc third and Hamilton fifth for company.

A big Silverstone cheer for Sainz as he parks up.

Chequered flag!

16:00 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc loses it with a spin! No yellow flags halting anyone else though.

Sainz goes quickest! Can Verstappen claw pole back? A tough second-sector and he cannot improve!

15:59 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc’s penultimate lap puts him top before Verstappen racks up a 1:41.055 to go first - and Norris then goes third!

Who will claim pole position?!

15:58 , Marc Mayo

There goes Leclerc exactly a quarter of a second off Verstappen, before Hamilton lands just 0.027-seconds off the quickest lap.

Sainz meanwhile looks like he’s about to fly into the barriers but keeps it together down the back straight.

This could come down to the timing of the last laps... Just 90 seconds to go!

15:56 , Marc Mayo

That’s more like it from Max. A 1:42.996 puts his Red Bull top before Norris goes second and Hamilton jumps him to arrive behind Verstappen.

Russell then goes third. Can the Ferraris, sixth and eighth, respond?

15:55 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc goes top with a 1:44.844 before Verstappen comes home just 0.043-seconds slower, although he did cut across one of the last corners - whether he gained an advantage or not is tough to tell.

Latifi was the cause of that yellow flag, spinning at the start of the lap but keeping his car rolling.

15:53 , Marc Mayo

A mighty lap by Alonso puts him quicker after the first hot laps, some six seconds ahead of Hamilton in ninth. Nothing yet from Latifi.

Across comes Sainz to edge ahead but there is a yellow flag in sector one...

15:52 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen banks a quicker first-sector by about two seconds over Leclerc on the first hot laps.

But he spins in the final sector! The Dutchman keeps it on the road but that lap is ruined.

15:50 , Marc Mayo

We haven’t had a crash interrupt a session yet, or really seen an underdog plant themselves among the big boys.

With the track set to dry out we may yet see a surprise; Norris, Zhou, Bottas and Latifi are the quarter joining the big six in this Q3 run.

Green light!

15:48 , Marc Mayo

It’s time for Q3 and the shootout for pole position.

The rain has eased again as the top ten fight it out over the next 12 minutes.

Matt Majendie at Silverstone

15:43 , Marc Mayo

When I spoke to Daniel Ricciardo at the last race, the Canadian Grand Prix, he told me it was a done deal that he was staying put at McLaren next season despite rumours to that contrary and suggestions McLaren were ready to dispense with his services.

At Silverstone, he's been worlds apart from teammate Lando Norris. Inevitable there will be more question marks. No Q3 for the Australian.

15:41 , Marc Mayo

Latifi makes Q3!

Chequered flag!

15:40 , Marc Mayo

“Can’t see s***,” Bottas tells Alfa Romeo as Ocon puts everything into his last run - almost losing it at Arena. But nothing doing in terms of the timesheet.

Gasly, Bottas, Tsunoda, Ricciardo and Ocon depart after the second of the three qualifying runs.

15:37 , Marc Mayo

15:36 , Marc Mayo

“No one is improving,” Ferrari tell Leclerc over team radio after Bottas and Ocon put in slower laps.

Even Verstappen has had a little tour off-track although he doesn’t venture near any barrier.

We still have three minutes 30 seconds on the clock but that might be that for Q2...

15:34 , Marc Mayo

Five minutes to go in Q2 with Verstappen top and half a second clear of Hamilton, ahead of Leclerc, Sainz and Russell.

In the drop zone are Gasly, Bottas, Tsunoda, Ricciardo and Ocon.

15:33 , Marc Mayo

The rain is hammering down now with it looking tough to improve as the grip dies down.

Russell banks fourth place and even Latifi goes ninth with a sterling effort.

Sainz, stuck in 14th, puts in a personal best to lift himself fourth. Much better.

15:30 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton complains of “vibrations” in his tyres as the Inters remain the prime option for this run.

Perez is the first to clock a 1m 42s lap, some two seconds clear of Sainz’s best and one second ahead of Leclerc.

Coming through moments later is a superb 1:41.486 by Verstappen. That is a big margin...

Green light!

15:25 , Marc Mayo

Here comes Q2, with light rain continuing at Silverstone...

Matt Majendie at Silverstone

15:24 , Marc Mayo

What on earth has gone on with Aston Martin? When they unveiled their upgrades, there were a few raised eyebrows because of the likeness to the Red Bull.

There is still a row about intellectual property on going with both team’s lawyers that has yet to be resolved. Anyway, both of the Aston Martins are out in Q1. A bad session for the two Haas cars too - also out.

15:23 , Marc Mayo

“Why are we doing cooldown laps, I don’t understand, we have no grip!” Albon laments over team radio after Williams informed him of his exit.

Q2 coming up with “light rain” predicted.

Q1 results

15:20 , Marc Mayo

Latifi finished 15th in that session so will take part in Q2 but Williams teammate Albon is OUT.

Behind him trail Magnussen, Vettel, Schumacher and Stroll will start at the back of the pack tomorrow. Big disappointment for Haas and Aston Martin.

Chequered flag!

15:19 , Marc Mayo

Right then, the flag is waved and Vettel can only go 15th on his final lap. Will it be good enough? No! Tsunoda jumps the German to land in the midfield.

Here comes Schumacher who can only jump to 18th before Stroll and Albon also fail to jump out of the drop zone.

15:17 , Marc Mayo

Latifi puts his Williams in 10th as the final laps begin, with Tsunoda, Vettel, Schumacher, Gasly and Stroll in the bottom five...

15:15 , Marc Mayo

Four minutes to go in Q1 with Ricciardo the latest to go off, at Village, as he looks to improve on 19th place.

Verstappen is the first to break below a 1m 40s lap and the rain ending will allow plenty more time to be shaved off as the track improves.

15:12 , Marc Mayo

15:12 , Marc Mayo

Better from Verstappen and Leclerc as they go about a second clear of Russell, times tumbling as a drier line emerges on the track.

Currently in the Q1 drop zone: Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Schumacher, Vettel and Gasly. Stroll the man in danger.

15:10 , Marc Mayo

“Rain easing off,” McLaren tell Norris which could mean the end of the session will deliver the prime conditions.

Leclerc leads Perez and Verstappen on the timesheets with a 1:42.129, although Russell jumps that by almost four-tenths of a second to draw a reasonable roar from the home fans.

15:08 , Marc Mayo

15:06 , Marc Mayo

A 1:47.521 has Leclerc top ahead of Hamilton and Russell in the top three as Verstappen completes his first lap.

That’s first for the Dutchman, a 1:45.743 which is a big gap but expect conditions to dominate what each driver is capable of in the specific moment they take to the track.

Bottas has had a spin at Vale, but continues on.

15:03 , Marc Mayo

A squirrelling Leclerc begins his hot lap on the Inters, F1’s less aggressive tyre for these conditions with full Wets saved for total downpours and standing water.

“We do expect this rain to stop in the next ten minutes,” McLaren tell Ricciardo over team radio.

Green light!

15:00 , Marc Mayo

A number of cars have been sat waiting at the end of the pit lane, getting drenched, for a while now with the rain pouring on Silverstone.

Serious plumes of water coming off the back of the cars as they head out, Mercedes waiting a moment to send out Hamilton and Russell. Eventually the Red Bulls join them with Alpine the last to take to the track.

Weather update

14:58 , Marc Mayo

It is wet. Really wet.

Five minutes until we get underway!

14:55 , Marc Mayo

14:51 , Marc Mayo

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is wary Mercedes will enter the fray for the race win at Sunday’s British Grand Prix.

Mercedes have come with sizeable upgrades to their car, the effects of which suggested it was on the pace in the initial practice session on Friday.

Horner’s Red Bull team have dominated the championship with a sizeable lead in the constructors’ championship and Max Verstappen having won six of nine races to date.

Of a three-team, six-car battle for victory at Silverstone, Horner said: “I think it could well be. The closest we’ve seen it is Barcelona in terms of high-speed and medium-speed corners. Mercedes again seem quick here and have brought a reasonable update here.

“It looks like at this venue that there could well be six cars in contention, which is fantastic for the fans. It’s going to be interesting to see how it pans out.”

Read the full story.

Matt Majendie at Silverstone

14:47 , Marc Mayo

I fully expect a mad dash by the entire grid to get out at the start of Q1 with the prediction of rain incoming. Any dry laps drivers can get in will be invaluable.

Keanu Reeves among the celebs at Silverstone today

14:45 , Marc Mayo

14:43 , Marc Mayo

Lewis Hamilton described his optimism of Mercedes’ improvements after yesterday’s running.

He told Sky Sports: “It feels like a small step forwards. But we've still got work to do. We've got to keep working.

“Our long run pace isn't as good as the other guys, but it's not miles off, so we've definitely made an improvement. I'm sure tonight we can work and improve the car a little more.”

14:39 , Marc Mayo

Check out how the Drivers’ Championship stacks up ahead of the weekend.

Read the full story.

Matt Majendie at Silverstone

14:32 , Marc Mayo

F1's never lacked for its farcical stories. Leading up to this weekend was the threat of a racing ban for Lewis Hamilton or, at the very least, a fine of some sort for his refusal to remove all his jewellery to race.

But he appears to have backed down by removing the nose stud which seemed to be the final bone of contention between him and the FIA. It'll be interesting to see how he gets on in qualifying. Jewellery or no jewellery, it's not been the team's greatest strength this season.

14:27 , Marc Mayo

A promising final practice session for Mercedes should put them right in the mix for qualifying - which starts in half an hour!

Matt Majendie at Silverstone

14:23 , Marc Mayo

It might prove to be all about the Red Bull today but there are reasons for other teams to go into the weekend with confidence because some of the biggest car upgrades we’ve seen this season.

Mercedes have a new front suspension, rear wing, sidepod and floor while Red Bull and Ferrari have new engine covers.

Williams have hit the changes the hardest with a new front wing, sidepod, floor, diffuser, the list goes on. It’ll be interesting to see how those changes translate in qualifying and the race. When I spoke to Alex Albon in the lead-up to the race, he seemed very confident it would shift him up the grid.

14:14 , Marc Mayo

When Lewis Hamilton has a cause to fight, it is invariably reflected on the track, writes Standard Sport’s Matt Majendie...

Early in his karting career, when any racist slurs were thrown his way, he channelled it by blitzing the field come the race. And at Silverstone this weekend, once the visor is down on his race helmet, Hamilton will look to do exactly the same.

The eight-time British Grand Prix winner has every right to feel like the returning hero this weekend and undoubtedly will be made to feel that way, with a record crowd of more than 400,000 people expected through the turnstiles over the course of the next three days.

But to get to that point, he has instead been left to answer a racist slur aimed his way.

Read the full story.

14:04 , Marc Mayo

Jamie Chadwick cruises to W Series victory at Silverstone as her rivals scrap over second-place on the last lap.

13:57 , Marc Mayo

13:46 , Marc Mayo

Currently out on track, Jamie Chadwick leading the W Series race.

Matt Majendie at Silverstone

13:37 , Marc Mayo

There's the threat of rain looming over Silverstone for qualifying, and it might be welcome from the rest of the grid. As things stand, it's hard to see anyone getting close to Max Verstappen, who looked a class apart in the third practice session earlier today.

It's a dry race predicted for tomorrow so a chaotic, wet qualifying seems the likeliest way to shake up the grid and Verstappen's current dominance.

13:34 , Marc Mayo

A mixed practice session for McLaren after yesterday’s promise.

13:21 , Marc Mayo

CHEQUERED FLAG!

13:03 , Marc Mayo

Max Verstappen lays down a serious marker with a half-second lead over his rivals by topping final practice.

Sergio Perez followed in second in the other Red Bull, ahead of Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton and Sainz.

A very tight qualifying ahead although challenging Verstappen for pole position looks a mighty task indeed.

12:58 , Marc Mayo

Only Hamilton and Perez out on track of the frontrunners now, with that rain having failed to materialise as much of the pack rushed out earlier in the session.

Here comes Verstappen though for the final two minutes.

12:55 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton delivers the words no Mercedes boss wanted to hear: “The car’s been bouncing a lot.”

Interestingly, Russell was not having the same issues earlier on.

12:51 , Marc Mayo

The official Car Performance Rankings has the Red Bull of Verstappen a whopping four-tenths quicker than the Ferrari in the straights.

That is basically the entire difference between them right now.

12:48 , Marc Mayo

What can the other Red Bull do? Perez hurtles across the line at a 1:28.410 to go second, four-tenths off Verstappen but with only a very fine margin over Leclerc.

Shortly after, Russell improves slightly to edge above Hamilton into fourth.

12:44 , Marc Mayo

Here comes Leclerc with two personal-best sectors before he loses time in the final sector, to go only 0.002 seconds off Verstappen.

That may be immaterial however with the Red Bull launching down the back straight and set to smash the top time of the day.

He does! That’s a 1:27.901 and almost half a second better than his previous best. Wow.

12:41 , Marc Mayo

Russell sets off on a fresh flying lap with sparks flying as he heads around Copse, two-tenths down after the second sector.

A 1:28.550 puts him third as he claws back a bit of time on Verstappen in the final part of the lap.

Mercedes are... excited

12:39 , Marc Mayo

12:36 , Marc Mayo

A bit of a lull on track as the final 20 minutes approach with teams making setup changes for the last runs.

12:32 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton goes quickest in sector three to end up just a tenth off Verstappen.

Mercedes are well and truly in the mix for a podium finish this weekend - at least...

12:25 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen with the quickest time on a 1:28.541 as Sainz improves his time but goes only with 0.341 seconds to go third, leaving both Ferrari cars trailing the Red Bull by just over three-tenths.

12:21 , Marc Mayo

“The problems from yesterday at high speed are not better,” Sainz tells Ferrari team radio after both Hamilton and Russell knock him back to fifth in the standings.

No such troubles for Russell who reports “no bouncing” to the Mercedes garage.

Rain is expected shortly, leading to the pack piling out onto the track for Soft-tyre runs to prepare for qualifying.

12:12 , Marc Mayo

We’re almost 15 minutes into the last hour of practice with Perez putting his Red Bull in between the two Ferrari cars currently leading the timesheets.

Leclerc, first, and Sainz, third, are on out-laps with nothing yet from Verstappen and Hamilton only now starting a first hot lap of the day.

How to watch

12:08 , Marc Mayo

Free-to-air TV: Channel 4 will be airing full the full day’s track action on terrestrial television.

Satellite TV channel: The British Grand Prix will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also tune in online via the Sky Go app. All4 will also show the weekend live for free.

Good afternoon!

12:04 , Marc Mayo

Welcome to Standard Sport’s live blog for the British Grand Prix!

The final practice session is underway, which we will be bring you ahead of qualifying later on, starting at 3pm.

So buckle up and have an umbrella at the ready for another potentially dramatic day of this F1 championship.