Hamilton sets British GP Practice pace as Ferrari edges Mercedes at Silverstone

Hamilton strikes first at Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton delivered the early statement of the British Grand Prix weekend by topping the sole practice session at Silverstone, setting the pace before Sprint Qualifying with a sharp 1:29.260.

Charles Leclerc added further weight to Ferrari’s session by climbing to third on a second attempt, putting both Ferrari cars ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes in fourth. For a team arriving at Silverstone with cautious expectations, the one-hour session offered a clean and competitive opening signal; for more background on that outlook, see our analysis of how Ferrari headed to Silverstone with cautious optimism after Austria.

Mercedes close, McLaren and Red Bull behind

Hamilton, the first driver on track, built his session steadily. After 13 laps, his best was a 1:31.201, around two-tenths slower than former Mercedes team-mate Russell at that stage. He then improved on lap 17 to a 1:30.521, moving 0.256s ahead of Antonelli before the decisive soft-tyre runs began.

Oscar Piastri ended fifth for McLaren after recovering from a high-speed spin through Maggots and Becketts. Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull, 0.980s off Hamilton, while reigning champion Lando Norris followed in seventh, 1.028s away from the top time.

Soft tyres shape the final order

Fernando Alonso was the first to try the soft compound with just under 30 minutes remaining, improving from a hard-tyre 1:34.771 to 1:33.204.

The broader soft-tyre push began with 12 minutes left. Piastri posted a 1:30.147, ultimately enough for fifth, before Antonelli surged to 1:29.473. Hamilton then responded with the lap that settled the session.

Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg and Liam Lawson completed the top 10. Hulkenberg and Lawson were involved in an incident as the Audi exited the pits, but although it briefly drew stewards’ attention, no further action was taken.

Among the British drivers, Arvid Lindblad was 13th for Racing Bulls, one place ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman. Sprint Qualifying follows later this afternoon at 16:30 local time.