Silverstone in ecstasy as Lewis Hamilton grabs British GP sprint pole

The Briton added that he was “very surprised” by the pace of Ferrari.

“They have been on the back foot with the PU [power unit] and energy management and today they look the best,” he said. “We’ve always known they have a great chassis. Some things are not quite making sense. Ferrari have had the upper hand all day.”

Russell’s comment about things “not quite making sense” may be a veiled reference to Ferrari’s recent spate of upgrades. Both Russell and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have spoken recently about the number and speed of upgrades emanating from Maranello, with Wolff seemingly questioning whether it was possible within the budget cap.

Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, admitted he had been unimpressed with those comments. “I found it quite ironic from Toto, coming from Toto and Mercedes,” he said in Friday’s press conference.

“When Red Bull is developing, or when Mercedes is developing, they are geniuses. When we are developing, we are cheating. I think you have to calm down with this. We didn’t bring more parts than Red Bull or another one. I don’t know if it was a joke, but…”

Silverstone’s fans will not care if it means another British Grand Prix win for Lewis Hamilton this weekend.