FP1: Norris leads the way in Silverstone opener
Lando Norris delighted home fans by dominating the first practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone. The McLaren driver clinched the fastest lap, pushing Lance Stroll of Aston Martin into second place, while teammate Oscar Piastri secured third despite facing some mechanical difficulties.
Fresh off his win in Austria, George Russell was among the first to hit the track, setting the early benchmark with a lap time of 1m 28.888s. The session began under dry conditions, although the threat of rain loomed with a 60% forecast.
Oliver Bearman participated in his third free practice session of the season with Haas, amidst news of his 2025 grid debut. He joined F2 contemporaries Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) and Franco Colapinto (Williams), along with Alpine junior Jack Doohan.
Ten minutes into the session, proceedings were halted as Yuki Tsunoda beached his Red Bull in the gravel at Luffield, necessitating a red flag for recovery operations.
Once action resumed, Carlos Sainz took the top spot at the halfway mark with a time of 1m 27.925s on hard tires. However, drizzle in the latter stages complicated efforts for many drivers. Piastri reported a possible hydraulic issue but managed to return to the pits without further incident.
Unfazed by the changing conditions, Norris clocked the fastest lap of 1m 27.420s on soft tires, edging out Stroll by 0.134s. Despite his earlier issues, Piastri held onto third place.
Max Verstappen took fourth for Red Bull, with Mercedes duo Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing fifth and seventh respectively, sandwiching Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin in sixth.
Read next ❯ Ferrari to reveal Hamilton's debut F1 car on February 19 at MaranelloFerrari's Charles Leclerc and Sainz followed in eighth and ninth, with Esteban Ocon of Alpine rounding out the top ten. Haas's Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th, trailed by Kick Sauber's Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, Bearman, and Zhou Guanyu of Kick Sauber.
Williams' Alex Albon secured 16th, with Doohan in 17th due to mechanical issues limiting his track time. Colapinto finished 18th, with Hadjar – after a narrow miss with Norris in the closing moments – in 19th. Tsunoda ended up 20th after his early session incident prevented further laps.
With FP1 concluded, teams and drivers will debrief and prepare for the second practice session, hoping weather stay clear. Make sure you catch all the action as the Silverstone weekend continues.
