British GP - Free Practice

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Qatar Airways British GP

Free Practice 1

July 5, 2024

Lando Norris of McLaren leads the way in the first practice session at Silverstone.

During the start of his home British Grand Prix weekend, Lando Norris from McLaren impressed with the fastest time in the initial practice session. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen from Red Bull secured the fourth position on the timing charts.

Norris completed a lap around the Silverstone track in 1 minute and 27.420 seconds on soft tires, outpacing Lance Stroll from Aston Martin by 0.134 seconds.

Oscar Piastri of McLaren finished third, trailing by 0.211 seconds due to a late hydraulics issue. Verstappen, the reigning champion and triple Formula One titleholder, was 0.309 seconds slower than Norris, but was using medium tyres.

With 11 out of 24 races completed, Verstappen leads Norris by 81 points in the championship standings. Despite the significant gap, both drivers are engaged in a closely contested battle on the track.

Following his victory in Austria last weekend, Mercedes' George Russell secured fifth place, while Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin finished sixth on a dry afternoon under overcast skies.

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion and a record eight-time winner in Britain, posted the seventh fastest time, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the Ferraris, with Esteban Ocon in 10th place for Renault-owned Alpine.

The session was interrupted early on when Yuki Tsunoda from RB had a slow-speed spin into the gravel.

Franco Colapinto from Williams, Isack Hadjar from Red Bull, Oliver Bearman from Haas, and Jack Doohan from Alpine participated in the first practice session as young drivers gaining F1 experience.

Bearman, who was announced on Thursday as a Haas driver for 2025, was the fastest of the F2 group in 14th position, with Doohan in 17th, Colapinto in 18th, and Hadjar in 20th.

At the end of the session, Norris had to brake suddenly to avoid colliding with Hadjar's slow-moving car.

Free Practice 2

July 5, 2024

Lando Norris from McLaren impressively led the Friday practice sessions at the British Grand Prix, setting the pace at Silverstone with teammate Oscar Piastri not far behind. The duo secured the top two positions in the timesheets during the second practice, which saw rain towards the end, following their first and third place finishes in the initial session.

"We have made good progress. We are tight and even with Mercedes. They seemed just as quick as us but they didn't turn up the engine. We are in a good place but we have more to find," Norris stated.

"I wish the weather was better than it is but at least the rain held off for most of the day."

Despite finishing fourth, Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen was the fastest driver on the slower medium tires and seventh overall.

In the first session, Norris clocked a best time of 1:27.420 on softs, beating Aston Martin's Lance Stroll by 0.134 seconds, even though Stroll had an upgraded front wing.

Later, Norris improved his time to 1:26.549 in the second session.

Following an early afternoon hydraulics issue, Piastri was 0.331 seconds slower in the subsequent session, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez taking third place.

Verstappen leads Norris by 81 points after 11 races out of 24, with the two drivers engaged in a closely contested battle on the track despite the significant points difference.

"I think we shouldn't look too much at the classification of the two sessions, especially the second one because some drivers like Max went on soft tyres and low fuel early on," McLaren boss Andrea Stella mentioned the importance of being aware of the changing track conditions.

"We went on with a more normal timing, so did our laps a bit later. Definitely there are some encouraging indications from both sessions in terms of pace on a single lap and the longer runs."

George Russell of Mercedes, who was given the win in Austria last weekend after Norris and Verstappen crashed while battling for the lead, finished fifth and tenth respectively.

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion and a record eight-time winner in Britain, came in seventh and sixth.

In practice two, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished fifth and Carlos Sainz, who won at Silverstone in 2022, came in eighth.

The first session was stopped early when Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull spun slowly into the gravel.

Youthful drivers Franco Colapinto (Williams), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Oliver Bearman (Haas), and Jack Doohan (Alpine) participated in the first practice to gain F1 experience.

Bearman, who was announced on Thursday as a Haas driver for 2025, was the fastest among the F2 group in 14th place, with Doohan in 17th, Colapinto in 18th, and Hadjar in 20th.

Norris had to brake suddenly to avoid colliding with Hadjar's slow-moving car at the end of the session. The stewards issued a warning to the French driver.

Free Practice 3

July 6, 2024

George Russell leads the way in the final GP practice session, securing the top spot on an all-British podium.

In challenging wet conditions at the British Grand Prix, George Russell led a Mercedes one-two alongside Lewis Hamilton, with a trio of British drivers dominating the timesheet.

Russell clocked the fastest time of one minute 37.529 seconds at a chilly Silverstone, outpacing seven-time world champion Hamilton by 0.035 seconds and McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.185 seconds.

The competitive lap times were recorded midway through the session.

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari claimed the fourth spot, followed by Red Bull's Max Verstappen in fifth, 0.864 seconds adrift from Russell, as all drivers utilized intermediate tires.

Alpine's Pierre Gasly failed to post a time after spinning off track at Vale during his second lap, triggering a brief red flag period. Gasly was already slated to start from the back of the grid on Sunday due to engine penalties.

With Silverstone marking the midpoint of the 24-race Formula One season, Verstappen holds an 81-point advantage over Norris in the championship standings.

Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Pérez, only managed ninth fastest in the practice session.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari secured sixth place, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished seventh and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso claimed eighth, with Haas's Nico Hülkenberg rounding out the top 10.

The rain was forecasted to ease off in time for the qualifying session later on Saturday.

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