Spanish
Silverstone.- Lewis Hamilton has started the British Grand Prix weekend strongly by setting the fastest time in the first free practice session, held this Friday at the Silverstone circuit. The British Ferrari driver stopped the clock at 1:26.892, beating his compatriot Lando Norris (McLaren) by just 23 thousandths and the World Champion leader, Australian Oscar Piastri, also from McLaren, by 150 thousandths.
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The seven-time world champion, who this year competes with Ferrari after his historic stage at Mercedes, completed 26 laps of the 5,891-meter British track, leading a very tight time table among the main favorites. Among the Spaniards, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Carlos Sainz (Williams) finished eleventh and thirteenth, respectively. Alonso, who achieved two victories at Silverstone in 2006 and 2011, was 786 thousandths behind Hamilton after completing 24 laps. Sainz, who achieved his first Formula 1 victory on this same circuit in 2022, lapped in 1:27.909, just over a second behind the leader. The session went without relevant incidents, although some errors were observed in the complicated Copse curve, where Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) spun without consequences. Two young F2 drivers also participated in the session: Arvid Lindblad (Red Bull), 17 years old, who finished 14th, and Paul Aron (Kick Sauber), 21, who was 17th.Max Verstappen (Red Bull), current third in the championship, could only be tenth, 540 milliseconds behind Hamilton.
The championship is still led by Oscar Piastri with 216 points, followed by Lando Norris with 201, and Verstappen, somewhat further behind, with 155. The second free practice will be held this afternoon at 16:00 hours (15:00 GMT).Top 5 of the first free practice in Silverstone:
- Lewis Hamilton (GBR, Ferrari) – 1:26.892
- Lando Norris (GBR, McLaren) – +0.023
- Oscar Piastri (AUS, McLaren) – +0.150
- Charles Leclerc (MCO, Ferrari) – +0.203
- George Russell (GBR, Mercedes) – +0.271
