Fernando Alonso put McLaren at the top of the timing screens for the first time since the team recoupled its relationship with Honda, and he says it "feels good", even if it was for nothing.
Alonso made a late decision to switch to the dry tyres at the very end of a damp qualifying and with just milliseconds left, he crossed the line before the chequered flag fell and was able to set a timed lap on them.
That proved to be the quickest lap by far, with Alonso topping the times in Q1 by more than 1.3 seconds to Max Verstappen in second.
"We made the right call at the end of Q1 by switching to Option tyres," said Alonso. "We took advantage of a track that was on the limit at that moment – and it was nice to hear people cheering.
"It’s good for the guys in the garage as well: they deserve it as they have been working so hard these past couple of years, and, even if it’s just for one moment, to be up there at the top of the time sheets feels good."
Alonso eventually finished 13th quickest, but will of course start last having incurred a 30-place grid penalty, and is hoping for a chaotic race to make up some place.
"Not making it into Q3 allows us to choose our tyres for the race. We’ll start last, owing to the penalties; starting on used Q2 tyres wouldn’t have been ideal, so we’re relatively happy with 13th.
"Now we need to think about tomorrow. We proved today that we’re quite competitive in mixed conditions, so a wet/dry chaotic race could work in our favour. Hopefully it’ll stay like this tomorrow, weather-wise."
Team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne mastered the conditions too, ending up ninth quickest in Q3 – which is the first time he has outqualified Alonso.
"To take part in Q3 at Silverstone was a bit unexpected," said the Belgian.
"But I’ve been working very well for the past couple of races, and we’ve clearly seen the improvements inside the team – in Azerbaijan, in Austria, and here at Silverstone this weekend, Fernando and I largely matched each other’s pace. It’s obviously a pretty good feeling to have made that extra step."
