Felipe Massa put in an impressive final run in Q3 which delivered a third place on tomorrow's grid, alongside his team mate Valterri Bottas.

While most drivers failed to improve on their second run in the dying minutes of qualifying, the Brazilian succeeded in going faster, locking out the second row for Williams and keeping both Ferraris at bay.

"I think it was a fantastic day for us," Massa said. "It's also our home Grand Prix for the team, so it was great to see Valterri and me third and fourth, fighting each other through qualifying, especially in Q3."

Many drivers struggled with Silverstone's gusty crosswinds which through a few cars offline, mainly on the exit of Copse where drivers caught with all four wheels over the white line had their lap time discarded. Fortunately, Massa kept away from the trap.

"It's a corner where you want to try everything you can," commented Massa. "I was very careful in the beginning but then started to push a little bit harder to understand where the limit was. I managed to do a good job and not pass over the white line there."

Lately, Williams had appeared to lose a little ground over the Scuderia, and the team's pace on Friday seemed to confirm its relative lower performance compared to the Italian outfit. But in qualifying, the British team delivered the goods and regained an edge.

"We just managed to get a fantastic lap at the end and improve a little bit. We're really looking to having a strong race tomorrow, especially with this fight with Ferrari. So itwas important to show that we can be in front of them with both cars. I hope it will be the same tomorrow. I'm very happy with what we did today and we need to concentrate on tomorrow."

Click here for Saturday's gallery from the British Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Williams explain power trick that could define F1 in 2026

Formula 1’s next generation of cars will not just look different – they will sound…

19 mins ago

Williams FW48 finally hits the track at Silverstone after delay

Williams finally rolled its long-awaited FW48 onto the track at Silverstone on Wednesday, trading weeks…

15 hours ago

Horner weighs in on explosive 2026 F1 engine controversy

Christian Horner has waded into Formula 1’s latest technical storm, addressing the growing controversy over…

16 hours ago

Newey: AI has been shaping F1 ‘for a long time’

Aston Martin’s chief architect and team principal Adrian Newey believes Formula 1’s latest buzzword is…

18 hours ago

Norris gets a pole-position welcome at old primary school

Fresh from pre-season testing and with a world title now stitched onto his racing overalls,…

19 hours ago

Two on the trot for Laffite and Ligier in Brazil

On this day in 1979, Jacques Laffite won the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos as…

20 hours ago