Lando Norris Leads Opening Practice at British Grand Prix

Lando Norris set the pace at Silverstone, topping the first Formula 1 practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend. The session, marked by cool conditions and an early red flag, saw Norris emerge as the fastest, highlighting McLaren’s strong performance.

The practice session began on a challenging note with the track surface offering limited grip. Initial lap times exceeded 90 seconds until Max Verstappen posted a 1m29.906s on hard tyres, setting a competitive benchmark. Seven-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton soon improved with a 1m29.035s, only to be surpassed by his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who clocked a 1m28.888s.

An early red flag interrupted the session when Yuki Tsunoda lost control at Luffield, spinning his car into the gravel. The incident halted proceedings for around eight minutes as Tsunoda’s vehicle was retrieved.

Upon resumption, Russell continued to push the pace, recording a 1m28.156s and later a 1m28.046s. However, Hamilton edged out Russell by a mere 0.003s to temporarily claim the top spot. As the session progressed, Carlos Sainz switched to medium tyres and posted a 1m27.925s, overtaking both Mercedes drivers.

The transition to medium tyres saw Russell and Charles Leclerc advance to the top of the leaderboard, but Verstappen narrowly eclipsed Russell by 0.01s. The Dutchman then extended his lead by an additional three hundredths, before Russell responded to maintain their close rivalry.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri briefly led the session on soft tyres before his teammate Lando Norris surpassed him by two-tenths. Piastri’s session ended abruptly due to a hydraulic issue, causing him to stop on his way to the pitlane and temporarily closing the pit entry for recovery.

Lance Stroll placed his Aston Martin between the McLarens, 0.134s behind Norris and 0.211s ahead of Piastri. Verstappen remained the fastest on medium tyres, outpacing Russell, soft-tyre user Fernando Alonso, and Leclerc. Sainz’s hard-tyre effort secured him ninth place, just ahead of Esteban Ocon.

Among the rookie drivers, newly signed Haas driver Ollie Bearman was the standout, celebrating his promotion with a 1m28.536s, securing 14th place. Alpine reserve Jack Doohan outperformed Williams’ Franco Colapinto for 17th, while Isack Hadjar, in the Red Bull RB20, finished 19th, narrowly avoiding a collision with Norris towards the end of the session.