Photo Credit: Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time during the opening practice session for the British Grand Prix, giving Ferrari an encouraging start to the weekend ahead of sprint qualifying later on Friday.
The seven time Formula 1 world champion finished 0.213 seconds clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who placed second for Mercedes. Ferrari also enjoyed a strong showing with Charles Leclerc securing third, while Mercedes driver George Russell, fresh from his victory in Austria, finished fourth.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri ended the session in fifth despite spinning at Becketts midway through the hour long outing. Although the Australian recovered without major consequences, he was nearly nine tenths of a second slower than Hamilton's benchmark lap.
Defending world champion Max Verstappen could only manage sixth place. The Red Bull driver appeared to struggle with grip throughout the session and finished almost one second behind Hamilton. McLaren's Lando Norris followed in seventh, while Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar claimed eighth.
Nico Hulkenberg continued Audi's encouraging form by finishing ninth, with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson rounding out the top ten.
The practice session took place under clear blue skies at Silverstone, where temperatures stood at around 23 degrees Celsius. Organizers are expecting a record crowd of approximately 500,000 fans across the race weekend, making it one of the biggest events in the circuit's history.
Hamilton's performance came as something of a surprise after he suggested on Thursday that Ferrari could struggle against Mercedes on Silverstone's long straights. He had predicted that the Scuderia might lose considerably more time than they did during the Austrian Grand Prix.
The British driver has an outstanding record at Silverstone, having won the race nine times, more than any other driver in Formula 1 history. His pace during practice will give Ferrari confidence as they prepare for sprint qualifying and the remainder of the weekend.
Aside from Piastri's brief spin, the session was largely trouble free, with few incidents interrupting running. Teams focused on gathering data and evaluating setups as they prepared for the next competitive session.
Sprint qualifying later on Friday will determine the grid for Saturday's sprint race and provide a clearer picture of which teams have the strongest pace heading into the British Grand Prix. While practice results do not always reflect race performance, Hamilton's impressive showing has raised hopes that Ferrari could challenge at the front in front of his home crowd.\
