Ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the only free practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver finishing 0.213s clear of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at Silverstone.

With the weekend running to the Sprint format, the 60-minute session represented the teams’ only opportunity to gather data before competitive running begins. As a result, there was immediate activity when the pit lane opened, with all drivers quickly heading out on the hard tyre as they began their early race and balance work.

Antonelli was the early benchmark, posting a 1:32.579 before the times began to fall as the track evolved in warm conditions. Isack Hadjar also showed strong early pace for Red Bull, briefly moving to the top of the order, while Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc all featured near the front during the opening phase.

By the midway point, Antonelli had returned to P1 with a 1:30.777 on the hard compound, 0.192s ahead of Hadjar and 0.209s clear of team-mate George Russell. Several drivers had moments at Village during the early running, with Antonelli, Leclerc and Lando Norris all appearing to struggle for front-end stability in that section.

Hamilton then improved on the hard tyre, moving ahead with a 1:30.521 as Ferrari continued to build through the session. Shortly afterwards, Piastri had the most significant moment of the hour, losing the rear of his McLaren through Becketts before sliding backwards into the run-off area. The Australian avoided contact with the barriers and was able to continue.

The focus shifted to qualifying simulations in the final 10 minutes, when the leading runners moved onto the soft tyre. Piastri was the first of the frontrunners to go quickest, setting a 1:30.147, before Russell lowered the benchmark and Antonelli then delivered a 1:29.473 to put Mercedes at the head of the times.

Hamilton responded with six minutes remaining, producing a 1:29.260 to move to the top of the order in front of his home crowd. Antonelli did not improve in the closing moments, leaving Hamilton fastest at the end of the session.

Leclerc completed the top three with a late 1:29.859, 0.599s off Hamilton’s best, while Russell finished fourth on a 1:29.938. Piastri ended the session fifth for McLaren, ahead of Verstappen, whose best lap of 1:30.240 placed him sixth.

Norris was seventh in the second McLaren, 1.028s off the pace, with Hadjar eighth for Red Bull after his strong early showing. Nico Hülkenberg was ninth for Audi with a 1:30.743, while Liam Lawson completed the top 10 for Racing Bulls.

Franco Colapinto was 11th for Alpine, ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Haas driver Oliver Bearman. Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon set identical times in 15th and 16th respectively, with Alexander Albon 17th.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were 18th and 19th for Cadillac, while Aston Martin pair Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll ended the session 20th and 22nd, split by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
 

2026 FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix – Free Practice 
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:29.260 32 237.593
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:29.473 0.213 29 237.027
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:29.859 0.599 31 236.009
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:29.938 0.678 31 235.802
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.147 0.887 25 235.255
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:30.240 0.980 27 235.013
7 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.288 1.028 27 234.888
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:30.338 1.078 28 234.758
9 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:30.743 1.483 29 233.710
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:30.850 1.590 28 233.435
11 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:30.966 1.706 28 233.137
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:31.035 1.775 28 232.960
13 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:31.339 2.079 32 232.185
14 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:31.373 2.113 27 232.099
15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:31.684 2.424 33 231.311
16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:31.684 2.424 27 231.311
17 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:31.697 2.437 30 231.279
18 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:32.150 2.890 22 230.142
19 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:32.241 2.981 23 229.915
20 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:32.957 3.697 25 228.144
21 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:33.019 3.759 25 227.992
22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:33.130 3.870 26 227.720