The British Grand Prix practice roundup
Max Verstappen seeks his sixth consecutive win at Silverstone as he dominates the early practices, while Charles Leclerc showcases Ferrari's might by ruling the wet final practice session.
Red Bull 1-2 in FP1
Max Verstappen opened the British Grand Prix weekend strong, leading a Red Bull 1-2 in the first practice.
He’s eyeing his sixth consecutive win, an accolade only achieved by four other drivers.
Notwithstanding initial grip struggles, Verstappen clocked 1m30.443s on the hard Pirelli tyres, managing to progress throughout the session.
His switch to the softer compound saw him post a session-best time of 1m28.600s, edging out team-mate Sergio Perez by 0.4s.
Williams' Alex Albon finished third, marking an auspicious start to the team's 800th grand prix.
George Russell initially took the lead for Mercedes, but he was later outperformed by Lewis Hamilton and then Verstappen.
Hamilton and the Ferrari pair - Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz - battled for second place, with Perez eventually taking the position.
Track conditions were challenging, with Hamilton and Haas's Nico Hulkenberg both struggling with oversteer and Russell contending with steering issues.
British GP FP2 Results
Verstappen narrowly outdoes Sainz in FP2
In the second practice session, Verstappen held his lead, beating Carlos Sainz by a razor-thin 0.022s margin.
Notably, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc missed the session entirely. Other teams like Aston Martin and Mercedes also experienced disrupted sessions, while Williams delivered a spectacular performance.
Perez initially set the pace, but Verstappen quickly took the lead with a time of 1m29.550s, which held as the quickest for a significant portion of the session.
Sainz later delivered a standout performance on the mediums, taking the top spot from Perez.
As the leaders moved to soft tyres for their qualifying simulations, Verstappen secured the fastest time.
Sainz couldn't reclaim the lead but managed a commendable 1m28.100s, just 0.022s behind Verstappen.
British GP FP2 Results
Leclerc reigns over wet final practice
In the wet final practice, Leclerc topped the timesheet, beating Alex Albon in a session disrupted by rain.
The wet conditions hampered qualifying preparations and limited the grip during the second half of the session.
Verstappen initially took the lead on the medium tyres but was soon overtaken by the Ferrari duo.
Hamilton briefly topped the times before being dethroned by Leclerc, who posted a 1m27.419s time before the onset of rain.
A downpour prompted teams to retreat to their pit garages, with many running on intermediate tyres towards the end of the session.
Despite a disrupted FP3, Pierre Gasly, Hamilton, Sainz, and Logan Sargeant all managed to post competitive times, making for an unpredictable qualifying session.
British GP FP3 Results
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