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Fernando Alonso made his new car a huge success for Aston Martin at the weekend by breaking the first session for the first time this season.
Alonso would start in 16th, 2.8 seconds from pole – but that was almost two seconds faster in relative terms.
The veteran Spaniard, who turns 45 next week, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I feel a bit relieved because I feel the team understands the weaknesses of the car and this is the first step in the right direction.
“At the beginning of the season we brought a few upgrades to this car, and it didn’t do much. And we’re coming off two years of upgrade frustration. So there’s definitely a change of optimism at the factory and I feel optimistic.”
Alonso is expected to make a decision this summer on whether to move on after this season. While he has no doubt managing technical partner Adrian Nye will lead the team to future success, he says he’s not sure it will be enough in the near term.
“No one should doubt Adrian Nieuwe or our ability at Silverstone. It’s only a matter of time before we have the best chassis and Honda has the best engine in F1. It’s a question of when.”
All the drivers were battling the hangaring track surface, especially in the last two corners, with Norris saying it was particularly difficult to predict the level of grip.
Even before the incident with Verstappen, Russell was affected by a wet skid on his final run, which splashed water on his rear tires.
After crossing the line, Mercedes immediately asked him to pull over and put the turn together, hoping not to damage the engine.
Antonelli said: “I think we went out the window a bit with a tire, then we made a good step in Q3 and the car finally felt a bit more alive. It was definitely a shame with the yellow flags, but it happened. P3 was on the table today, but still not enough for pole.”
