Verstappen said: “All the cars have quite different speed traces. We are very fast on the straights and slower in the corners.

“Ferrari is quick in the corners so the slowest on the straights, and McLaren is in the middle of all that.

“It depends on who can keep their tyres alive. This year that has been a bit of a struggle for us, but hopefully with what we did to the car that will help at least.

“For sure, I can see a proper battle. Even in the long runs, there were a lot of cars that were quick. Even in qualifying, it was all quite tight.”

Norris said: “I’m looking forward to it because I think it can be a great race with Mercedes, Ferrari, Max and us. There is opportunity for everyone.

“It can be exciting because everyone is on quite different downforce levels and has their strengths and weaknesses in different places so it should be good to watch.

“The weather can play a part. It might rain. Red Bull are incredibly quick in the straight, which means to pass them will be pretty tough. But they paid the price by being a little slower in the high-speed corners. Its difficult to know, people are quick and slow in different places. We have to wait and see.”

In such a tight qualifying battle, the grid order was defined by small details.

Piastri did not improve on his second lap after damaging his car – “significantly”, McLaren said – at Stowe on his first lap.

And Ferrari, who had looked to be the pace-setters through practice and when they locked out first and second places in the second session, failed to deliver in the final session when both drivers made mistakes at the final chicane of Vale/Club. Leclerc was so frustrated he unleashed a torrent of unbroadcastable invective over the radio afterwards.