Sprint qualifying is no different from recent races behind Verstappen

In letter

Hamilton: Tracking difficulty not resolved by sprint qualifying format

Hamilton qualified first for the F1 sprint qualifying session, but was beaten out of the line by Verstappen who went on to claim the victory.

Despite the free choice of tires and a lower fuel load compared to longer races, Hamilton said it was reminiscent of other circumstances when he trailed his championship rival this season.

“[It was] pretty much the same as the last few races in terms of following just behind Max, ”said Hamilton. “[Friday] was a more enjoyable day in terms of qualifying.

“It’s very difficult to follow, naturally, in this car. So it wasn’t the most exciting, but I hope it was for the fans.

Vettel: Fans should judge the success of the sprint format

Sebastian Vettel says drivers are not the right people to judge whether the sprint qualifying session worked in an F1 weekend, as they will always prefer a session with racing action.

“I think it’s not so much us, you should go out there and ask people what they think.

“At the end of the day, we make this format for them. So ask the people at home and ask the people in the stands if they liked it. I think for us we love racing so free practice is not as exciting as a race [so] you have your answer.

Raikkonen doesn’t credit soft tires for a good sprint start

Kimi Raikkonen started the sprint qualifying session 17th and was able to regain four places on the to grab 13th place on the grid for tomorrow’s grand prix.

He was one of five drivers, including Valtteri Bottas and Fernando Alonso, who chose to bet on a soft tire for the session. However, Raikkonen said he didn’t think it provided a major advantage on the line.

“It’s always a little better but I doubt there is much between the two tires at the start,” he said. “It’s more if you’re right or wrong, it’s so easy to be wrong.

“I had some damage on the ground, I think it was at the start of the race. But we tried to fight – we were a bit slow on the straights but we made some improvements, obviously. “

On this day in motorsport

• 40 years ago today, John Watson ended McLaren’s four-year wait for a win and gave the team their first win under Ron Dennis, at home at Silverstone