British GP: Lewis Hamilton Leads Practice One Ahead of McLarens

Lewis Hamilton made an impressive start to his home British Grand Prix weekend as a Ferrari driver, setting the fastest time in the first practice session ahead of the McLarens.

Hamilton, a nine-time winner at Silverstone who is still seeking his first podium finish with Ferrari as the season approaches its halfway point, quickly found his rhythm around the circuit where he has achieved unparalleled success. He posted a leading time of 1:26.892, finishing just 0.023 seconds ahead of fellow Briton Lando Norris.

This session marks the first time this season that Hamilton has topped a practice leaderboard.

“The car feels quite good in these windy conditions,” commented Sky Sports F1`s Martin Brundle, describing the typical breezy, warm, and sunny conditions at Silverstone. “We saw cars spin off at 180mph. I believe Lewis understands how to handle all of that, and the Ferrari does too.”

“That level of knowledge and familiarity Hamilton possesses here provides him with extra confidence,” Brundle added.

Championship contender Oscar Piastri secured third place in the second McLaren, 0.150 seconds behind Hamilton. Charles Leclerc finished fourth in the second Ferrari, underscoring the Scuderia`s positive start following an improved performance in Austria last week.

George Russell finished fifth, nearly three-tenths adrift in the lead Mercedes, while Max Verstappen placed only tenth for Red Bull. The reigning champion once again reported handling difficulties with his RB21 during the opening session of the weekend.

“Unbelievable,” Verstappen remarked at the end of the session, having visibly struggled to control his car through several corners.

Red Bull has introduced new floor components aimed at increasing downforce on the Silverstone circuit, which rewards high cornering speed. The team will now focus on refining the car`s setup to improve Verstappen`s comfort and performance for the subsequent, more crucial sessions of the weekend.

Notably, both Racing Bulls cars, Red Bull`s sister team, were quicker than Verstappen in P1, with Isack Hadjar finishing sixth and Liam Lawson eighth. Kimi Antonelli was ninth in the second Mercedes.

With Yuki Tsunoda not participating in the opening session, the second Red Bull car was driven by the company`s 17-year-old British protege, Arvid Lindblad. The F2 driver made his F1 practice debut on home ground.

Lindblad completed 22 laps, finishing 14th fastest on his first top-level outing. His time was a respectable half-second behind the four-time world champion Verstappen.

Dramatic moments included high-speed spins for Alpine`s Pierre Gasly and Sauber`s Gabriel Bortoleto at the challenging 180mph Copse corner. Both drivers were able to continue their sessions after recovering.

Gasly spun a full 360 degrees after hitting the exit kerb, while Bortoleto spun twice, briefly touching the inside grass before regaining control and returning to the pits. Lance Stroll also experienced a moment off-track in the Aston Martin.

Estonian Paul Aron also had his P1 debut, driving for Sauber on loan from Alpine. He finished 17th, with Bortoleto ending up last after his spin.