Verstappen beats Hamilton in thrilling F1 Sprint at Silverstone to claim pole position for British GP

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has won the inaugural F1 Sprint at the iconic Silverstone circuit, earning himself three points and pole position for Sunday’s British Grand Prix, as he triumphed over the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

With all of the top 10 starting the 17-lap F1 Sprint on medium tyres bar the Mercedes of Bottas on used softs, Verstappen was incisive off the start from second on the grid, out-dragging the Mercedes of Hamilton – who’d started P1 – into Abbey, despite flames having been spotted licking from his front-left wheel on the grid.

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the first ever F1 Sprint at Silverstone

Fans were then treated to a thrilling opening lap, with Verstappen resisting the passing attempts of Hamilton – including an audacious one to go around the outside of the Red Bull at Copse – while Fernando Alonso impressively used the soft starting tyres on his Alpine to jump from 11th to 5th, as the two Haas cars of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin touched in the Village complex, with Mazepin spinning.