Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and a soccer coach, Jose Mourinho, pose after the qualifying for the British Formula One Grand Prix in Silverstone, England. (AP)

SILVERSTONE, England, July 5, (AP): Max Verstappen showed he had the pace when it mattered most as he beat Formula 1 title rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to claim pole position Saturday for the British Grand Prix.

Verstappen went fastest by 0.103 of a second to beat Piastri's time, with Norris third, .015 further back, after both of the McLaren drivers made small but costly errors.

Lewis Hamilton, a record nine-time winner of his home race, was also in the fight for pole but had to settle for fifth after a relatively slow end to his lap.

Verstappen had seemed pessimistic about having the pace to challenge the McLarens at Silverstone - Ferrari had been closer than Red Bull in practice - and he described his car as "so difficult” over the radio partway through the session. Even so, he found the pace for the pole.

At Silverstone, "you have to be committed and that’s enjoyable,” Verstappen said. "It’s a big boost for the team as well, and excited to go racing tomorrow.”

Piastri lost time with a slight slide in the last corner on his final run, while Norris clipped a curb on an otherwise strong lap.

Piastri heads into Sunday's race with a 15-point lead over Norris, while Verstappen is third, 61 points off the lead.