Hamilton Tops Practice
Lewis Hamilton dominates British Grand Prix practice at Silverstone, setting a strong pace against close rivals.
Key Points
Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls raised concerns after FP1 that his power unit may not be functioning properly, signaling potential reliability issues for the British GP sprint weekend.
The event is expected to attract a record crowd, with BBC reporting up to 500,000 spectators at Silverstone for the weekend.
Fernando Alonso was the first to sample the soft tyres during FP1, lowering his time to 1:33.204 after an initial 1:34.771 on hard tyres.
Max Verstappen finished sixth and was markedly slower, about 0.980 seconds behind Hamilton, with the session noting he was clearly struggling for grip.
Lewis Hamilton topped the only practice session for the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, posting a best lap of 1m29.260s on soft tyres to edge Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by 0.213 seconds. BBC and RacingNews365 both confirmed the Ferrari driver's pace as the session set the stage for sprint qualifying later the same day at 16:30 BST.
The session took place in sunny 23°C conditions at a circuit expecting a record weekend crowd. BBC reported up to 500,000 spectators are set to attend Silverstone across the full weekend, giving the event a festival-like atmosphere from the opening laps.
Hamilton Leads a Tightly Packed Silverstone Pecking Order
Hamilton's 1m29.260s was the benchmark, but the gaps behind him were razor-thin. F1i noted that Charles Leclerc sat third, with George Russell also high in the times. The top of the order was closely matched, making it hard to separate genuine pace from tyre strategy choices.
Max Verstappen was a notable outlier. He finished sixth, roughly 0.980 seconds behind Hamilton, and was visibly struggling for grip throughout the session, according to RacingNews365. That gap raised early questions about Red Bull's Silverstone setup heading into sprint qualifying.
Piastri Spins at Becketts, Alonso Tests the Soft Tyre Early
McLaren's Oscar Piastri had a mid-session moment at the fast Becketts complex, spinning off but keeping the car out of the barriers. BBC confirmed he recovered and stayed in contention, though his teammate Lando Norris also remained in the mix without making the same headlines.
Fernando Alonso was among the first to switch to soft tyres during the session. He opened on hard tyres with a lap of 1m34.771s before dropping to 1m33.204s on the softs, according to F1i. It was a reminder that tyre choice and timing shaped the entire order in what was the weekend's only free practice hour.
British Drivers in the Spotlight, But Lindblad Flags Power Unit Trouble
Five British drivers featured prominently across the grid: Hamilton, Russell, Norris, Oliver Bearman, and rookie Arvid Lindblad. The home crowd had plenty to cheer. But Lindblad's session ended on a worrying note. The Racing Bulls driver said after FP1 that his power unit may not be working properly, raising reliability concerns for the sprint weekend ahead.
RacingNews365 highlighted that the sprint format gives teams almost no time to fix problems. With only one practice session before sprint qualifying, any mechanical issue found in FP1 leaves engineers with a very short window to respond. Lindblad's situation will be one to watch as the weekend unfolds.
Sprint Weekend Format Puts Pressure on Every Lap
This is a sprint weekend, meaning teams get just one practice session before sprint qualifying. There is no time to experiment. Every lap in FP1 carries real weight. F1i noted that Hamilton's early pace was set specifically with sprint qualifying in mind, making his 1m29.260s all the more significant.
Sprint qualifying was scheduled for 16:30 BST on the same day as practice. The sprint race itself and the main qualifying session follow on Saturday. With pole position and sprint points up for grabs, the tight margins seen in practice — Hamilton, Antonelli, Leclerc all within tenths — point to a fiercely competitive afternoon ahead.
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