Hamilton Leads Silverstone Practice Session
Lewis Hamilton, who holds the record with nine British Grand Prix wins at Silverstone, set the fastest time in the practice session ahead of sprint qualifying on Friday.
The seven-time world champion clocked a time 0.213 seconds faster than championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc, driving the second Ferrari, also outpaced Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell, the winner of last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri secured the fifth fastest time, trailing Hamilton by 0.887 seconds despite experiencing a spin at Becketts corner midway through the session.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was sixth fastest, 0.980 seconds behind Hamilton, visibly struggling with grip. He was followed by McLaren's Lando Norris and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.
Completing the top ten were Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson.
Session Conditions and Attendance
The practice took place under clear blue skies with temperatures around 23°C, marking the start of a weekend expected to draw a record crowd of 500,000 spectators to Silverstone.
Hamilton's Unexpected Pace
Hamilton, the all-time leader in wins at this circuit, was an unexpected leader in pace. On Thursday, he had predicted that Ferrari would lose approximately twice as much time on the straights to Mercedes compared to their deficit in Austria last weekend. In Austria, the 41-year-old finished fifth, two weeks after achieving his first Ferrari victory in Barcelona.
"I thought Ferrari would lose perhaps twice as much time on the straights to Mercedes as they did in Austria last weekend," Hamilton said.
Session Overview
Aside from Piastri's spin, the session was largely uneventful. Sprint qualifying is scheduled to begin at 16:30 BST.
- Norris 'happy I have the pain of this year for the glory of last'
- Silverstone completely different with new cars - Hamilton
- How to follow British Grand Prix on the BBC
- British GP Preview: Lando Norris Special
