Lewis Hamilton started his weekend at Silverstone in the best possible fashion to put his Ferrari top of the British GP 2025 Free Practice 1 results, just ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren with Oscar Piastri in the third fastest in the first practice session of the F1 weekend.
The seven-time world champion delighted the packed home crowd by clocking a session-best lap, narrowly edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris by just 0.023 seconds. The result marked the first time Hamilton has led a practice session this season outside of his sprint pole at the Chinese Grand Prix, signalling intent from the British legend as the weekend begins.
F1 British GP 2025 FP1 results
Check out the full British GP 2025 Free Practice 1 results from the first practice session in Silverstone below.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:26.892 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.023 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.150 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.203 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.271 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.325 |
| 7 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.412 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.459 |
| 9 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.475 |
| 10 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.540 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.786 |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.952 |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.017 |
| 14 | Arvid Lindblad | Red Bull | +1.066 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.165 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.194 |
| 17 | Paul Aron | Sauber | +1.250 |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.255 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.440 |
| 20 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1.505 |
Norris, cheered on by fans across the circuit, narrowly edged his McLaren teammate and current points leader Oscar Piastri for second. Charles Leclerc, in the other Ferrari, made it two red cars in the top four, continuing an encouraging trend for the team after recent updates.
Mercedes’ George Russell briefly led the way early in the session but settled for fifth. Isack Hadjar impressed for Racing Bulls with sixth, while Alex Albon delivered for Williams in seventh.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen struggled with car balance throughout the hour and could only manage tenth, ending the session behind teammate Arvid Lindblad, who made his Formula 1 debut for Red Bull at just 17 years old. Lindblad finished a respectable 13th, only half a second off Verstappen’s best.
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Debutants and drama as British GP weekend heats up
Two new names joined the Formula 1 grid for FP1 at Silverstone. Red Bull gave a seat to rising star Arvid Lindblad, who was granted special dispensation to drive at his home race. Alpine’s reserve driver Paul Aron, meanwhile, substituted for Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg as part of a driver-sharing agreement between the teams. Aron finished 17th in his maiden session.
There was action across the field as Esteban Ocon led the pack out in the Haas, with most teams starting on medium tyres. Traffic proved an issue throughout, as Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson expressed frustration over the radio, urging rivals to “check their mirrors” after a near-miss with Lindblad.
A couple of high-speed moments at Copse kept the marshals busy. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly executed a dramatic 360-degree spin but managed to continue unscathed, though his tyres paid the price. Minutes later, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto—who scored his first points in Austria just last weekend—lost control on the curb, sliding over the grass before rejoining without damage.
As the hour progressed and most teams bolted on soft tyres for flying laps, the order shifted quickly. Norris returned to the top with 20 minutes remaining, only for Hamilton to find a final burst of pace and reclaim the top spot by the smallest of margins.
Elsewhere, Aston Martin split its strategy with Fernando Alonso running a new floor (finishing 11th), while Lance Stroll used the older specification and finished just behind. Williams dealt with early technical concerns on Carlos Sainz’s car, but Sainz was able to join later on the soft tyre run.
With the first hour of the British GP weekend complete, the field has already delivered a preview of the unpredictability and passion that makes Silverstone unique. Teams now pore over their data ahead of the afternoon’s second practice, with hopes of closing the gap to Hamilton’s benchmark. If the energy from the stands and the performance on track are any indication, this year’s home race could be another classic in the making.
