FP1 at Silverstone is taken by Sir Lewis Hamilton. The English driver confirmed the great feeling he has towards his home circuit. In reality, Ferrari seems to be more capable of finally unlocking part of that hidden potential that has been talked about since the beginning of the season. However, we do not know if the new floor will be enough to contain the great power of McLaren. Several difficulties, however, for Max Verstappen, who finished the session in tenth position and, above all, bringing a slightly higher race pace to the track compared to his direct competitors.
The English weekend begins: Lindblad makes his debut in FP1 at Silverstone
At 13:30 Italian time, the FP1 starts at Silverstone, one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar. Right here, during the first free practice sessions, the promising Arvid Lindblad makes his debut with Red Bull. The English driver currently active in Formula 2, with already two victories in the cadet category, got the superlicense at the beginning of June despite not having turned 17 yet. He is not the only young driver present in these FP1. At the wheel of the Sauber, in place of Hukenberg, is Paul Aron, despite being a reserve driver for Alpine. In the meantime, the activity on the track has immediately become intense.
After twelve minutes from the start of FP1 at Silverstone, George Russell is leading with his Mercedes. Behind him is Norris, then Antonelli and Hamilton, all on medium tyres. At the back, the difficulties for Alpine continue. Pierre Gasly is the protagonist of a spin at the exit of Copse. A car, the French one, that in these first minutes of the English weekend seems very difficult to drive. Spin, albeit at lower speeds, also for Lance Stroll. The Canadian lost the rear of his Aston Martin while trying to set up the Village curve.
Also worthy of note, still on medium tyres, is the performance of Liam Lawson with forty minutes to go. The New Zealander will certainly try to continue what he demonstrated in Austria. A few minutes later, however, his time is beaten first by Leclerc and then by Hadjar, his teammate. In the meantime, Carlos Sainz leads his Williams to bounce too lively on the kerbs exiting Copse. The Spaniard is thus forced to return to the pits, with the mechanics having raised the car on stands to check the bottom of the single-seater.
The drivers seem aggressive right away in this first test session
A fairly eventful first half hour of FP1 at Silverstone. Most of the drivers spent a lot of time on the medium compound, with the exception of Aston Martin and Williams on hard tyres. What was surprising, however, was the aggressiveness with which the drivers immediately tried to attack the others' times. Probably, to gain confidence as quickly as possible with the circuit, which has a fairly complex layout. However, starting in the 29th minute, Lando Norris chose to take to the track with red tyres, setting the best time of the session. A record that lasted only five minutes, because it was immediately beaten by his teammate, Oscar Piastri.
The fastest lap by Charles Leclerc is also surprising. The Monegasque managed to get ahead of everyone, giving almost two tenths to the Australian McLaren driver. Meanwhile, another mistake exiting Copse: this time it's Gabriel Bortoleto's turn. No consequences for him, but he will certainly have to change his set of red tires, ruined during the spin that also took him onto the grass in that portion of the track before Becketts. Lewis Hamilton is also in slight difficulty, and only after a few attempts manages to get his first lap on soft tires, positioning himself ahead of everyone. The special relationship between the seven-time world champion and the Silverstone circuit has been confirmed so far.
McLaren and Ferrari look like the teams in the best shape
Thirteen minutes from the end of FP1 at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton is still leading the timesheets, followed by Norris, Piastri and Leclerc. Slightly further back is George Russell, who on medium tyres began a small simulation of the race pace on medium tyres. McLaren and Ferrari are doing the same job but differentiating the tyres on their drivers. In Ferrari, Leclerc is testing the race pace with the red tyre, while Hamilton is testing the medium compound. After problems with the bottom, Carlos Sainz also leaves the pits, but he is fitting hard tyres.
Red Bull, on yellow-banded tyres, seems to be in slightly more difficulty than Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. The weekend has just begun, but the Maranello team seems to confirm the improvements found thanks to the new surface already brought to Austria. In fact, Hamilton's race pace seems slightly better than Lando Norris's with the same compound. The seven-time world champion also overtook Russell on the track, with the Mercedes driver also engaged in his own race simulation.
At the end of the session the timesheets remain unchanged. Lewis Hamilton remains at the top of the timesheets thanks to a 1:26.892. Behind him Piastri, Norris, Leclerc and Russell. Ninth Antonelli, while Lindblard ends his very first experience in Formula 1 in fourteenth position. A few too many difficulties, however, for MaxVerstappen, who will have to work hard together with his team to improve the driveability of his car. Only tenth in the times for the Dutchman. Finally, Aron also had a positive test with the Sauber. The young Alpine-trained driver completed the session in seventeenth position, ahead of Bortoleto himself.
