Lando Norris topped second practice at the British Grand Prix from Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in an intriguing Friday at Silverstone.
McLaren and Ferrari are set for a huge battle over the remainder of the weekend, despite Norris beating Leclerc by 0.222s with Hamilton 0.301s off the pace.
However, Leclerc and Hamilton set their best times on second push laps so had more pace in hand whereas Austrian GP winner Norris may not have much left on the table.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown told Sky Sports F1: “The Ferraris look very strong over one lap and race pace. A little early, but Ferrari look very tough.”
Oscar Piastri, who is 15 points ahead of Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, was fourth, with Max Verstappen in fifth – both drivers nearly half a second slower than Norris.
Verstappen visibly struggled with understeer throughout both sessions on the high-speed Silverstone circuit as Red Bull’s new floor appears not to have put them closer to the front.
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Kimi Antonelli was the quickest of the Mercedes in sixth, with George Russell in eighth and unlikely to contend for pole position on home soil.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll split the Mercedes pair in seventh, with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson continuing to show strong pace in ninth and 10th.
Carlos Sainz caused the only yellow flags of second practice with a spin going onto the old main straight and is being investigated for driving in a “potentially dangerous” manner when he got going, having spun in the middle of the circuit.
Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Gabriel Bortoleto all take spins in the first practice session at the British GP
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The half-a-second margin Norris had in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix is likely to not be repeated at Silverstone with Ferrari enjoying the long and high-speed corners.
Ferrari’s new floor from Austria is paying dividends this weekend, as Leclerc and Hamilton were also strong on the medium tyres compared to McLaren.
The 2009 F1 world champion and Sky Sports F1‘s Jenson Button said: “It’s mixed-up up there, it’s good.
“The Ferraris look competitive, in qualifying pace and their long run pace looks on a par with the McLarens. Red Bull have a little bit of work to do.”
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Since McLaren brought a new suspension to the Canadian Grand Prix last month, Piastri has generally been slower than Norris and that theme continued on Friday at Silverstone as the British driver had the upper hand in both sessions.
Sky Sports F1‘s Anthony Davidson said: “Piastri will have a tougher opponent in Lando Norris this weekend, naturally, after his win last week.
“But Oscar is a builder-upper and he will be right there and pressuring Lando every step of the way tomorrow, if not ahead of him by the end of the day.”
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A trend this year has seen Red Bull gain time from Friday to Saturday but Verstappen’s 0.498s deficit to Norris will be a concern.
However, Christian Horner thinks Red Bull’s floor, which is only on Verstappen’s car, just needs to be “dialled in” to achieve a better balance.
“We are giving away 90 per cent of our lap time in Turn 6 and 7, the slow-speed corners turning back into the wind,” said Horner.
“But, the long run looks pretty sensible so we have something we can work with, we just need to tune it overnight the right way.”
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Sky Sports F1’s British GP schedule
Saturday July 5
9.10am: F3 Sprint
11.15pm: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING*
4.55pm: F4 Race 1
5.40pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the British Grand Prix
Sunday July 6
8.15am: F4 Race 2
9.25am: F3 Feature Race
11am: F2 Feature Race
1.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: British GP build-up*
3pm: THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX*
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction*
6pm: Ted’s Notebook*
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Next up in the 2025 Formula 1 season is the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
