Formula One: Mercedes driver Hamilton braces for 'tough' British GP after McLaren's wake-up call in qualifying

Seven-time Formula One champion and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said that McLaren finishing on the podium at two and three at the British Grand Prix qualifying is a 'wake-up call' for his team.

Notably, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are behind F1 drivers' leader and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen for the Sunday, July 9 British GP start at Silverstone.

Mercedes, on the other hand, will start sixth and seventh, with Hamilton taking seventh place. Mercedes' other driver George Russell is in sixth position. Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are fourth and fifth, respectively. Williams driver Alex Albon, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Alpine's Pierre Gasly round the grid for the top 10.

Hamilton's comments came after the qualifying on Saturday on the Silverstone track which was expected to suit his Mercedes car better. "It's not a blow, it's just a wake-up call for us," he said.

"Others are overtaking us. We need to do more.

"If you look at the car it makes sense. If you put it alongside a Red Bull it looks very, very similar down the sides," he added.

"And it's working, and that's great, to have them up in the mix, which is what we want to see in this sport. I'm really happy for them, they've had a bad run for so long. To be back up there is really, really great to see," said Hamilton further.

Notably, McLaren upgraded their car at Austrian Grand Prix during the last race and the efforts have clearly paid off. Hamilton, who is struggling this season in Mercedes, also said that his home race is going to be a tough one.

“They had the edge on us last race so I anticipate tomorrow will be the same … Of course, I’ll try and be optimistic and do our best, but realistically I’m not sure how… We’ll find out. It was difficult to get past the two Ferraris and we’ve got two McLarens now there. Gonna be a tough race," said Hamilton.

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