Hamilton Sets the Pace in FP1 at the British Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton made the perfect start to his home race weekend by going fastest in F1 FP1 at the British GP. The seven-time World Champion topped the timesheets with a 1:26.892, narrowly edging out Lando Norris by just two-hundredths of a second at Silverstone.
It’s early days, sure, but there’s something fitting about Hamilton setting the tone on a track where he’s already won nine times. He looked comfortable out there, perhaps more than he has in recent outings.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri slotted into third, with Charles Leclerc just behind in fourth for Ferrari. George Russell rounded out the top five, adding another strong showing for Mercedes.
A Few New Faces in the Mix
FP1 also gave us a first look at a couple of new names in F1 machinery. Seventeen-year-old Arvid Lindblad made his Grand Prix weekend debut for Red Bull, taking over Yuki Tsunoda’s car. He didn’t look out of place either, finishing P13.
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Alpine’s Paul Aron, meanwhile, stepped into Nico Hülkenberg’s Kick Sauber. It’s a slightly unusual arrangement, given Aron is an Alpine reserve, but the two teams struck a deal to give him some valuable seat time.
Early Drama and Track Action
The session began with a flurry of activity; Esteban Ocon leading the pack out on mediums, while Aston Martin and Williams opted for the harder compound. Within minutes, Liam Lawson was already complaining about traffic, calling out Lindblad for not checking his mirrors.
There were a few nervy moments too. Pierre Gasly pulled off a full 360 spin at Copse (not ideal), but managed to continue. Later in the session, Gabriel Bortoleto did something similar, bringing out a brief yellow flag but recovering without issue.
Carlos Sainz had a frustrating start. His Williams spent a large chunk of time up on the stands, with mechanics inspecting the floor before he eventually got some laps in, albeit out of sync with the others.
Pace Shifts and Soft Tyre Runs
Halfway through FP1, Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar had a surprising stint at the top of the leaderboard, briefly outpacing Charles Leclerc. That said, it was clear the real runs hadn’t yet begun.
As more drivers switched to soft tyres, the times dropped quickly. Norris went fastest for a moment, but Hamilton responded with classic Silverstone timing, just before the chequered flag. No one could beat his benchmark after that.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, finished tenth. Not a dramatic session from him, though the ongoing speculation about his Red Bull future continued to linger in the background.
F1 FP1 British GP Final Standings – 2025
- Lewis Hamilton – 1:26.892
- Lando Norris – +0.020
- Oscar Piastri
- Charles Leclerc
- George Russell
- Isack Hadjar
- Alex Albon
- Liam Lawson
- Kimi Antonelli
- Max Verstappen
The rest of the field saw Alonso and Stroll in P11 and P12, followed by Lindblad (P13), Sainz (P14), and Ocon (P15). From there it was Colapinto, Aron, Bearman, Gasly, and Bortoleto rounding out the session.
What’s Next?
Teams will now sift through the data from FP1 as they prep for the second practice session at 16:00 local time. It’s still early in the weekend, but if FP1 is any indication, we could be in for a classic at Silverstone.
F1 FP1 British GP Featured Image – EverythingF1