British delight as Russell gets home pole ahead of Hamilton, Norris

George Russell claimed pole position ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton while McLaren's Lando Norris completed a British top three in qualifying for their home Formula One grand prix.

Russell clocked 1 minute 25.819 seconds on the iconic 5.891-kilometre Silverstone circuit for his second pole of the season and third overall.

Record eight-time race winner Hamilton trailed by .171 of a second and Miami GP winner Norris by .211 which left only fourth place for triple world champion and season leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

Helped by cold conditions, the result was sweet for Mercedes who have been struggling in recent years but got a win last week from Russell in Austria after Verstappen and Norris collided while fighting for the lead.

The three had finished in the same order in final practice earlier on Saturday.

Fans will hope that they can replicate their performance on Sunday for what would be a first British podium sweep at the home race since 1965.

Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez had a day to forget as he spun off in Q1 and finished 19th, and there was also dismay for Ferrari's Monaco winner Charles Leclerc who went out in Q2 in 11th in a qualifying session that started in wet conditions.

Verstappen leads the championship by 81 points from Norris as the 24-race season reaches the halfway mark in Sunday's race.