The 2025 British Grand Prix weekend has begun with all the anticipation and atmosphere Silverstone can offer, but beneath the excitement, a clear note of caution has crept into the McLaren camp.
While home hero Lando Norris ended Friday on top of the timesheets, both Norris and team principal Zak Brown were united in warning that Ferrari’s pace on both short and long runs could turn the British GP into a fierce contest.
McLaren fans arrived at the circuit hopeful, especially after Norris clocked the fastest time in FP2, edging out Charles Leclerc by two tenths.
But Brown was quick to shift the narrative, pointing to Ferrari’s impressive consistency throughout the opening day of running and suggesting that the Scuderia could be the ones to watch.
Ferrari Upgrade Raises the Stakes
The Italian team arrived at Silverstone buoyed by a significant floor upgrade introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix. The improvements quickly became apparent, with Charles Leclerc securing second in the session and Lewis Hamilton taking third. Ferrari’s resurgence was not lost on Brown, who offered a candid assessment after the chequered flag.
“The Ferraris look very strong. Both over one lap and over race pace. A little bit early but it looks like Ferrari is the competition so far,” Brown told the press. “They were very good in the first session. Both cars are strong. Race pace is good. They look very tough.”
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His view was echoed by Norris, who tempered his own pace-setting performance by underlining Ferrari’s threat.
“The soft [tyre run] was a very strong lap,” Norris explained to F1TV. “But me being me and also in general, the Ferraris have been very, very quick today and they shall be tomorrow. So I think we’ve got a bit of work to do, to be honest. It looks maybe a bit too good today.”
Norris continued, “Like always, Ferrari always catch up into FP3, like they did last weekend. I say [I am] pleased with today, but nothing to be too proud about just yet.”
Red Bull Watchful as McLaren and Ferrari Trade Blows
While the focus for now is on the McLaren Ferrari battle, Red Bull are working hard behind the scenes after a less than ideal Friday. Max Verstappen found himself fifth on the timesheets, nearly half a second down on Norris and still searching for the perfect balance.
Still, both McLaren and Ferrari are well aware that Red Bull have a habit of improving dramatically between Friday and qualifying.
Brown highlighted this reality, saying, “Every time Max looks like he’s struggling a bit he puts it together. It does look a bit tough for them for now but based on my experience you never rule Max Verstappen out.”
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri had a messy soft-tyre run in FP2 but remained optimistic about McLaren’s overall prospects.
“In FP2, the soft tyre was a little bit messy for me, but the potential is definitely there and the long runs looked pretty solid as well. An interesting first day and a lot of competition,” Piastri explained to F1TV.
“They [Ferrari] looked good, both in the qualifying runs and the longer runs as well, so I think they’re in the fight this weekend, which is interesting to see.”
With Saturday’s crucial qualifying session and Sunday’s race on the horizon, the sense is growing that the British Grand Prix could turn into a tactical duel between McLaren and Ferrari, with Red Bull lurking in the background.
