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.
The nine-time Silverstone winner, still seeking his first podium finish for Ferrari halfway through the season, quickly found his pace around the circuit where he holds the most victories. He posted a lap time of 1:26.892, edging out fellow Briton Lando Norris by a narrow margin of 0.023 seconds.
This result marks the first time Hamilton has topped any practice session this season.
“The car is quite good in these windy conditions,” commented Sky Sports F1`s Martin Brundle, observing the warm, sunny, yet typically blustery weather at Silverstone.
“We saw cars spin off at 180mph. I think Lewis knows how to deal with all of that and the Ferrari does too.”
Brundle added, “That knowledge and understanding Hamilton has got here gives him extra confidence.”
Championship leader Oscar Piastri secured third place in the second McLaren, 0.150 seconds behind Hamilton. Charles Leclerc finished fourth in the other Ferrari, indicating an encouraging start for the team following their improved performance in Austria last week.
George Russell was fifth fastest for Mercedes, nearly 0.3 seconds adrift. In contrast, championship frontrunner Max Verstappen was only tenth for Red Bull, reporting persistent handling issues with his RB21 during the session.
Struggling through several corners, Verstappen was heard saying over the radio at the end of the session, “Unbelievable.”
Red Bull has introduced new floor components aimed at increasing downforce on the Silverstone track, which rewards high cornering speed. The team will be focused on refining the car`s setup with Verstappen to improve its performance for the more critical sessions later in the weekend.
Interestingly, both cars from Red Bull`s sister team, Racing Bulls, finished higher than Verstappen, with Isack Hadjar in sixth and Liam Lawson in eighth. Kimi Antonelli placed ninth in the second Mercedes.
With Yuki Tsunoda sitting out the opening session, Red Bull`s 17-year-old British protégé and F2 driver Arvid Lindblad drove the second car, making his F1 Practice One debut on home ground.
Lindblad completed 22 laps in his top-level outing, finishing 14th fastest – a respectable half a second behind the four-time world champion Verstappen.
There were dramatic moments at the high-speed 180mph Copse corner. Alpine`s Pierre Gasly and Sauber`s Gabriel Bortoleto both experienced high-speed spins, though both drivers managed to continue their sessions.
Gasly spun 360 degrees after going wide over the exit kerb. Bortoleto spun around twice, briefly touching the inside grass, before recovering his Sauber and returning to the pit lane.
Lance Stroll also had a brief off-track excursion in his Aston Martin.
Estonian Alpine junior Paul Aron also made his P1 debut, driving for Sauber on loan for the session. He finished 17th fastest, while Bortoleto was last after his spin.
