Lewis Hamilton sent a wave of optimism through the Ferrari camp at Silverstone after an encouraging start to the 2025 British Grand Prix weekend, declaring the team “in the mix” following a strong showing in Friday’s practice sessions.
The seven-time world champion put Ferrari at the top of the timesheets in FP1 before slotting into third in the afternoon’s second session, sandwiched between home favorite Lando Norris and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
For the passionate British crowd, it was their first chance to watch Hamilton tackle his home race in Ferrari red—and the dream of a record-extending 10th Silverstone win suddenly felt within reach.
Hamilton’s start to life at Ferrari has been a mixed bag, with the team sometimes struggling to find the ideal set-up early in the weekend. But at Silverstone, the Briton looked comfortable from his very first laps, drawing praise from fans and confidence from within the team.
“It was a really good day,” Hamilton told F1TV. “Great to see the crowd. Amazing to see, to be out on track in a Ferrari here at Silverstone. It’s been pretty incredible. And also, with the Red Bull and McLaren had an upgrade, so for us to be in the mix still, given that they’ve had a step today, it’s really positive.”
Ferrari look to challenge McLaren and Red Bull
The mood at Maranello has clearly shifted after the opening day of running. Hamilton and Leclerc were able to match the pace of the updated McLaren and Red Bull machines, hinting that Ferrari could be a genuine contender not just in qualifying, but on long-run race pace as well.
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“I definitely feel that we can dream of having a strong weekend,” Hamilton said, cautious not to get ahead of himself. “Executing and putting it all together and extracting it is another thing. But I think I’ll prepare myself the best I can to make sure we get the best result.”
Asked what had changed to make him so competitive straight out of the garage, Hamilton credited his growing comfort with the SF-25.
“I’m progressing a lot now with the car and I’m much more comfortable knowing where it needs to be,” Hamilton declared. “I think by FP2, we still weren’t where we needed to be. In FP2 I definitely struggled a little bit more, but we know the changes that we need to make for the next session.”
Silverstone’s notoriously unpredictable weather could add another layer of drama, and Hamilton knows he will need to be at his best if he is to add to his tally of nine home wins.
“Tomorrow there’s rain potentially coming and also on Sunday as well, so I’m just going to try my hardest to make sure we’re ready for that,” Hamilton added.
With the home crowd roaring him on and Ferrari showing early pace, Lewis Hamilton has set the stage for a weekend of high hopes and big dreams at Silverstone.
