Hollywood dazzle at Silverstone with presence of Brad Pitt and feature film crew
Formula 1 heads back to one of its most famous sites as Silverstone hosts the 2023 British Grand Prix this weekend.
Last time out in Austria, Max Verstappen continued his dominant form with a fifth straight win this season, extending his lead in the world championship to 81 points, with team-mate Sergio Perez in second.
Lewis Hamilton endured a mixed weekend in Spielberg, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished on the podium. Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris will be eyeing strong results this weekend at their home race, with recent upgrades for both Mercedes and McLaren renewing optimism in both camps.
On Friday at a bright and sunny Silverstone, free practice 1 started at 12:30pm; FP2 is at 4pm. Carlos Sainz won last year’s action-packed race for Ferrari, his first and only win in F1.
Follow British Grand Prix live updates with The Independent this weekend – FP1 started at 12:30pm (BST).
F1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX – PRACTICE
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How about this for a view in the McLaren?!
Lando Norris on the pedals!
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 13:19
Charles Leclerc now fastest with 15 left on the clock!
Free practice 1 drawing to a close and most of the runners now switching to soft tyres.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc the quickest with a 1:29:280, with Esteban Ocon’s Alpine just 0.039 seconds off the pace-setter!
Carlos Sainz is third, 0.077secs down on his team-mate, with Nyck de Vries posting a good time in fourth – four-tenths off Leclerc.
5-10: Gasly, Verstappen, Russell, Perez, Bottas, Tsunoda
Lewis Hamilton is down in 12th, on mediums still.
But the Red Bulls are about to switch to softs…
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 13:17
Lewis Hamilton complains of bouncing
“Bouncing is pretty bad, mate,” says Lewis Hamilton.
Oh dear. Eyebrows raised.
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 13:09
Carlos Sainz goes fastest on softs!
The Ferrari of Carlos Sainz the first to switch to the quickest tyres – and he goes top of the leaderboard halfway through the session with a 1:29:357.
Max Verstappen is in second, five-tenths back, with Sergio Perez a tenth further back from his Red Bull team-mate.
Yuki Tsunoda is in fourth, 0.735 seconds behind Sainz, with Logan Sargeant in fifth – both those on soft tyres.
6-10: Hamilton, Albon, Leclerc, Stroll, Zhou
George Russell down in 18th currently; Lando Norris in 16th!
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 13:04
Max Verstappen fastest and Carlos Sainz in second after 15 minutes!
A common theme in FP1 this season has been Max Verstappen topping the timesheets whilst being unhappy with the state of affairs!
“It’s like driving on ice,” he says over team radio.
He’s just set another quick lap – 1:29:863 – and is nearly a second ahead of second-placed Carlos Sainz.
3-10: Stroll, Hamilton, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Magnussen, Russell, Gasly, De Vries
The likes of Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri are yet to set a time…
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 12:48
Nyck de Vries with a spin at Brooklands!
A bit of a moment for Nyck de Vries at Brooklands, losing the rear of the car and spinning onto the gravel!
Brief yellow flags before he joins the circuit again safely.
Tough moments at the moment for the Dutchman, who’s spot at AlphaTauri already feels under threat…
Nyck de Vries with a spin in first practice at Silverstone
(F1)
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 12:43
Max Verstappen out on his own already at Silverstone!
Around two-thirds of the cars out on track early on, with a combination of medium and hard tyres.
10 minutes in – and guess who’s top?! Max Verstappen, of course, fastest so far with a 1:30:433 on hard tyres, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in second five-tenths back – and Lewis Hamilton nine-tenths back from the pace-setter in third.
George Russell is fourth on the timesheet, 1.1 seconds behind the Red Bull, with Charles Leclerc in fifth.
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 12:40
FP1 is underway!
Big queue at the end of the pit lane as the British Grand Prix weekend gets underway!
The Williams of Alex Albon is the first car out on track!
Who will set the early benchmark? Lewis Hamilton already waving to the crowd coming out of the pit lane!
Lewis Hamilton waves to the crowd at Silverstone
(F1)
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 12:31
Quick practice pit stop at Red Bull!
The quest for perfection doesn’t stop at Red Bull ahead of first practice!
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 12:27
Here are the Driver Standings ahead of Silverstone:
1) Max Verstappen – 229 points
2) Sergio Perez – 148 points
3) Fernando Alonso – 129 points
4) Lewis Hamilton – 108 points
5) Carlos Sainz – 86 points
6) Charles Leclerc – 72 points
7) George Russell – 70 points
8) Lance Stroll – 43 points
9) Esteban Ocon – 31 points
10) Lando Norris – 22 points
11) Pierre Gasly – 17 points
12) Nico Hulkenberg – 9 points
13) Alex Albon – 7 points
14) Oscar Piastri – 5 points
15) Valtteri Bottas – 5 points
16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points
17) Yuki Tsunoda – 2 points
18) Kevin Magnussen – 2 points
19) Nyck de Vries – 0 points
20) Logan Sargeant – 0 points
Kieran Jackson7 July 2023 12:24