"The qualifying result is a bit frustrating," claims Vasseur after Ferrari's eye-catching pace at Silverstone

After strong performance from the Scuderia across the practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were left to settle for a lowly fifth and sixth position on the grid. Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur was left to brand the result as "a bit frustrating."

Drizzle at the start of qualifying meant that three minutes into the session, Ferrari sent Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton out on track for their first run.

The session was red flagged after seven minutes, when Franco Colapinto went off at the final corner. Ferrari were eager to only a single set in Q1 which put both drivers in danger and on the verge of getting knocked out in Q1.

In Q2, Hamilton and Leclerc went out on the same set of softs they used in the opening qualifying session, but their second run on a fresh set of red-walled tyres saw the Briton and the Monegasque end up first and second quickest respectively.

It looked like Ferrari had the pace to fight for pole position, but both Hamilton and Leclerc made a mistake in the very last corner of the Silverstone track which left them fifth and sixth on the grid for tomorrow's British Grand Prix.

Explaining Ferrari's qualifying performance, the Scuderia's team principal Fred Vasseur praised the Italian team for having "made a step forward in terms of pure performance" despite the suboptimal last flying laps from Hamilton and Leclerc.

"The qualifying result is a bit frustrating, because the car was clearly quick all weekend and even today, as we were first and second fastest in Q2.

"The upgrades we introduced in Austria played their part, and importantly they have probably helped the drivers to now feel more confident in the car. It’s encouraging everyone to keep pushing.

"Fifth and sixth means we did not execute qualifying well, we did not put everything together for that final run. With all the support for the team this weekend, especially for Lewis, it’s a shame we did not deliver something better.

"On the plus side, I believe we have made a step forward in terms of pure performance. However, P5 and 6 is still respectable, because we know we have good long run pace, we always perform a bit better on Sunday than on Saturday, and overtaking is possible at Silverstone, so we can fight back from here.

"That’s motor racing and now we must concentrate on tomorrow and see what we can do to ensure we have a better Sunday," concluded Vasseur.