Sainz qualifies on pole for British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England — It took 151 attempts for Carlos Sainz to earn his first Formula One pole. Now he'll chase that elusive first win.

But starting alongside Sainz on the front row Sunday at the British Grand Prix will be defending F1 champion Max Verstappen, a year removed from the crash with Lewis Hamilton that turned their title fight into a bitter rivalry.

Verstappen was booed by some in the crowd after Saturday's action-packed qualifying session in the rain, and said he could barely hear his on-track interview questions over the jeers.

“If they want to boo, they do that. For me, it's not going to change anything,” he said. “Maybe some of them don’t like me, but that’s fine. They all have their own opinions. I don’t care.”

Sainz set the fastest time late in the third qualifying session to edge Verstappen by just .072 seconds. It was the seventh pole in 10 races for Ferrari this season, though Sainz teammate Charles Leclerc had earned the first six poles prior to Sainz's surprise run.

“First pole position, it's always special, and especially to do it in Silverstone in the wet,” Sainz said. “Kept it cool through the session and toward the end I decided to push.”

Sainz narrowly missed out on what would have been his first career win two weeks ago at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished just behind Verstappen. The Spanish driver has been on the podium 11 times in his career but never on the top step. He's finished second three times this season.

Leclerc will start third, ahead of Sergio Pérez in the second Red Bull.

Sunday’s race is expected to be largely dry after a rainy qualifying session. The improved conditions could favor the two Red Bulls after Verstappen set the fastest lap time of anyone this weekend