Bottas takes 70th Anniversary F1 Grand Prix POLE for Mercedes – Hamilton starts second, Hulkenberg third

Valtteri Bottas takes 70th Anniversary Grand Prix pole at Silverstone, with team mate Lewis Hamilton second and Hulkenberg in the Racing Point third.

Yes, F1 is back at Silverstone this week in the hastily cobbled together schedule for 2020 F1 Grands Prix in the wake of the Covid-19 problems. But it’s not the British Grand Prix (that was last weekend) but the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. But, as it was last week, it’s a Mercedes one-two in qualifying, but this time it’s Bottas on pole.

The Finnish driver pushed Hamilton in to second spot on the grid by a whisker – just 0.063s – in his first pole of 2020, with Hulkenberg in the Racing Point – sitting in for Covid-hit Perez – taking third place and Red Bull’s Verstappen fourth.

Behind the top four it was an impressive fifth for Ricciardo in the Renault followed by Stroll in the second Racing Point and Gasly in the Alpha Tauri.

Ferrari continue to struggle with Leclerc only managing an eighth place start (and Vettel only 12th), with Albon in the second Red Bull in ninth and Norris putting his McLaren in 10th (the second McLaren of Sainz starts 13th).

Just as it did last week, it seems likely the race will be between Hamilton and Bottas at the front (although that fell apart on punctures last week), but the also-ran places, and the final podium, are up for grabs by Racing Point, Red Bull and even Renault.