F1 British GP live: FP2 results and qualifying start time as Lando Norris fastest at Silverstone

5 Jul 2025 • 1:06 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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F1 next heads back to the scene of the sport’s first ever race 75 years ago as Silverstone hosts the British Grand Prix and round 12 of the 2025 season.

Lando Norris secured a vital and much-needed win last time out in Austria, thwarting a challenge from McLaren teammate and championship rival Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver’s lead is now 15 points after the first 11 races.

Charles Leclerc picked up the final podium place for Ferrari, while Max Verstappen retired after being hit by Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been the topic of much discussion this week - the Dutchman has been linked with a move to Mercedes, potentially replacing arch rival George Russell in 2026.

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, finished fourth in Austria and will be eyeing his first podium for Ferrari as he takes to his home track for the first time in red. Hamilton memorably won last year’s race, his ninth victory at Silverstone.

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F1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES

  • F1 heads to the home of British motorsport, Silverstone, for the next race in the 2025 season
  • Lewis Hamilton tops FP1 leaderboard, Lando Norris second, Oscar Piastri third
  • Norris pips Hamilton to top of timesheet in FP2 but the Ferraris are breathing down his neck
  • Piastri leads Norris by 15 points in the world champioinship
  • NEWS: George Russell is adamant that he will be at Mercedes in 2026
  • PREVIEW: Lewis Hamilton returns to Silverstone in last chance saloon for first Ferrari year

Report: Lando Norris sets pace in practice for British Grand Prix as he eyes home win

18:17

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Will Castle

Lando Norris set the pace in practice for the British Grand Prix as the title contender laid down a marker in pursuit of his first home victory.

Norris trails McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 15 points in the championship standings following his victory in Austria last weekend and is bidding to secure back-to-back Formula One wins for the first time.

The 25-year-old has his own grandstand at Silverstone, hosting 10,000 of his fans, and he delighted those supporters by setting a searing pace to end the day 0.222 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

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What's the schedule tomorrow?

17:58

,

Will Castle

Saturday 5 July

  • Free practice 3: 11:30am
  • Qualifying: 3pm

Christian Horner pledges to 'tidy up' understeer

17:42

,

Will Castle

"We've got some understeer in the car that we need to tidy up, so it's just a balancing effect,” Horner told Sky Sports.

"If we can tidy that up...we are giving away 90 cent of our lap time in turn six and seven, so the slow speeds turning back into the wind, but the rest of the lap is looking pretty decent.

"The long run is looking pretty decent so I think we've got something to work with, we've just got to tune it the right way."

Lando Norris goes fastest but the Ferraris are on his tail

17:30

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Will Castle

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FP2: The rest

17:14

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Will Castle

11. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

13. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

14. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

15. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)

16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

17. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

18. Pierre gasly (Alpine)

19. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

FP2: Top 10

17:07

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Will Castle

1. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:25.816

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.222

3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.301

4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.470

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.498

6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.567

7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.614

8. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.707

9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.708

10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.808

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CHEQUERED FLAG! Lando Norris sets the pace in FP2

17:02

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Will Castle

Lando Norris follows in his countryman Lewis Hamilton’s suit to top the timesheet after FP2 - making it an all-English affair so far at Silverstone!

The Ferraris are on his tail and have made a statement after an underwhelming season so far, with both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finishing in the top three.

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Two minutes to go!

16:59

,

Will Castle

2 mins to go: Not long left of FP2. Norris leads by over two tenths - is there a last-minute surprise run in store?

Sainz kicks up gravel on his least favourite turn

16:57

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Will Castle

5 mins to go: Sainz is hating that corner.

Earlier he span out, and now he’s drifted wide onto the gravel, kicking a hefty amount onto the track.

A reminder he’ll be investigated for rejoining the track dangerously earlier in FP2.

'Ferrari look very tough'

16:54

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Will Castle

9 mins to go: McLaren chief executive Zak Brown says Ferrari will be one to be wary of in the British GP.

"The Ferraris look very strong over one lap and race pace,” he told Sky Sports. "A little early, but Ferrari look very tough."

He also said that despite his difficulties in the car, you can never rule out Max Verstappen.

Latest timesheet with race runs beginning

16:47

,

Will Castle

Just 15 minutes to go of FP2. Here’s how the timesheet looks:

  1. Norris 1:25.816
  2. Leclerc +0.222
  3. Hamilton +0.301
  4. Piastri +0.470
  5. Verstappen +0.498

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Verstappen up to fifth

16:45

,

Will Castle

17 mins to go: Verstappen is fighting against his own car but has nevertheless crept up to fifth his his best time yet.

He’s still half a second down on Norris.

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Verstappen won't be happy with his car

16:41

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Will Castle

26 mins to go: Verstappen looks twitchy with his car as he sits in NINTH, nearly eight tenths off Norris in top spot.

"It's just understeering," says Jenson Button.

Norris goes to P1 to the delight of the crowd

16:37

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Will Castle

25 mins to go: Home favourite Lando Norris has stormed into first with a soft run of 1:25.816.

Hamilton then comes out for a soft lap of his own and his efforts are good enough for second, three tenths of compatriot Norris’ pace.

Leclerc to the top as we hit halfway!

16:32

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Will Castle

30 mins to go: Halfway through FP2 and Leclerc is back to the top on the soft tyres!

He aces his flying lap and clocks in close to two tenths faster than Antonelli.

Piastri then follows and goes with 0.084s of matching Leclerc’s pace!

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Soft tyres contingent taking control as Antonelli clocks in fastest

16:29

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Will Castle

32 mins to go: Antonelli, Russell and Hadjar now make up the top three after changing to soft tyres, with Antonelli clocking in a time of 1.26.383.

Russell and Hadjar trail by just over a tenth, while Lawson and Albon have also shot up leaderboard on the softs.

FP2 in full swing

16:26

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Will Castle

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Hamilton storms back into top spot

16:23

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Will Castle

38 mins to go: That didn’t last long!

Hamilton flies around the track and clocks in a time nearly three tenths faster than Leclerc.

Hamilton smashing it at Silverstone - not exactly a shock, is it?

Leclerc pips his Ferrari teammate

16:21

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Will Castle

40 mins to go: Leclerc is into top spot on the time sheet as he pips Hamilton by just 0.015s.

He’s now in the pits, which gives Hamilton a good chance to regain the lead.

Only Hamilton, Tsunoda and Bearman currently on the track.

YELLOW FLAG! Sainz spins out

16:19

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Will Castle

42 mins to go: Sainz spins out and comes a bit too close to knocking Hamilton - but it looks like Lewis sees it coming and puts his foot down to avoid him.

Sainz then pulls out quite dangerously with Hulkenberg on the advance - an incident which has been noted by race control.

Hamilton regains top spot as Hadjar slips into second

16:16

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Will Castle

45 mins to go: Piastri might be camped out at the top of the driver’s championship but he wasn’t leading the timesheet for long!

Hamilton pips the Aussie’s tie by nearly three tenths, while Hadjar of Racing Bulls slips into second, trailing his idol by 0.16s. Russell is in third.

Piastri hits the front

16:14

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Will Castle

47 mins to go: Piastri has completed his first push lap on the mediums and has taken top spot on the timesheet.

He goes 0.084s quicker than Hamilton.

Liam Lawson near miss with Oscar Bearman

16:12

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Will Castle

49 mins to go: Bearman is caught cruising on the racing line, forcing Lawson to zig-zag out of the way.

He’s made his frustration clear over team radio and the stewards have noted it, but as it’s FP2, expect nothing more than a warning.

No time wasted from Hamilton

16:09

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Will Castle

52 mins to go: Hamilton is continuing in fine stead and has shot straight to the top of the timesheet.

He has started his first run with a best lap pf 1:27.2, but Max Verstappen is just six hundredths behind.

Long way still to go.

FP2 underway!

16:02

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Will Castle

59 mins to go: We’re off at Silverstone!

It’s a lovely, sunny day, but the wind is picking up.

Most of the cars have taken to the track from the off, including FP1 pacesetter Hamilton.

Is the wind proving too much for Red Bull?

16:02

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Will Castle

"We saw a lot of on-board footage, especially the slow-speed corners, the car looked difficult to drive,” Jensen Button said following Red Bull’s difficult first session.

"It looked like maybe it's being hurt by the wind here compared to the other cars, which is a surprise.

"But it's very windy out there."

Who comes out in FP2?

15:59

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Will Castle

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T-minus 10 until FP2!

15:51

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Will Castle

Just 10 minutes to go until the cars get back on the Silverstone track for FP2!

Being back on home turf is clearly paying off for Lewis Hamilton, as he registered the fastest practice lap in FP1 - the first time he’s done so this season.

Can Hamilton continue in fine stead and replicate his pace? Stay tuned to find out!

Lando Norris strives to knock Lewis Hamilton off British No 1 perch: ‘That’s my goal’

15:40

,

Will Castle

Lando Norris said he wants to overtake Lewis Hamilton as the British number one as he admitted winning at Silverstone would be the crowning moment of his career.

“From a British perspective, I have the best chance of winning the race and of course I am the one that is most likely to be fighting for the championship this season,” said Norris.

“Am I the British number one? I don’t know. I don’t know how much you have to take into account history. If you do, then Lewis is quite convincingly at the top – he has a lot more wins, poles and championships than anyone else put together.

“Being the British number one would be nice, that’s my goal, the same as it is with any sportsman, whether it is in tennis or golf, you want to be the number one, but I would say I haven’t proven myself to be there yet. But it is something I am working on.”

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Christian Horner concedes defeat in Max Verstappen F1 title bid

15:30

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Mike Jones

“The buffer McLaren has is significant. It looks very much like a two-horse race.

“You could see how McLaren are racing each other. They’ve got a cushion to the rest. For us we just focus on one race at a time. We don’t even think about championships.

“What’s truly impressive is when you look at how close Oscar is able to run behind Lando with a car fat on fuel, at the beginning of the race, and he’s basically making love to his f****** exhaust pipe lap after lap after lap and the tyres are not dying.

“That is their advantage. I can’t see any other car that would be able to follow that closely and not grain the front tyres or the rear tyres.”

George Russell adamant he will not be leaving Mercedes: ‘Toto has never let me down’

15:20

,

Mike Jones

George Russell believes he won’t be leaving Mercedes at the end of the season despite speculation linking Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with the team.

Russell, who is in the middle of his fourth season with Mercedes, does not currently have a contract beyond 2025 despite a strong first half of the season.

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Norris asks Silverstone crowd not to paint Piastri as villain

15:10

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Mike Jones

Lando Norris has called on the Silverstone crowd not to cast world championship rival Oscar Piastri as a villain at Sunday’s British Grand Prix.

Norris will head into his home race off the back of a morale-boosting victory in Austria which took him to within 15 points of McLaren team-mate Piastri in the title race.

“I certainly hope that doesn’t happen,” said Norris when asked if Piastri should expect a hostile reception.

“The British fans are normally very accepting for all of us, especially at McLaren, so the first point should be for the fans to support everyone.”

Piastri, who finished runner-up to Norris in Spielberg, added: “A couple of years ago they were chanting my name and that was unexpected.

“I am not sure I will get that again, but they have always been very accepting of me. I race for a British team.

“Of course, I am expecting that there will be more Lando fans than there are for me, but that’s fair enough.”

British Grand Prix schedule and times

15:00

,

Mike Jones

Friday 4 July

Practice 2: 4pm BST

Saturday 5 July

Practice 3 11:30am BST

Qualifying: 3pm BST

Sunday 6 July

Grand Prix 3pm BST

McLaren team principal backing Norris to win

14:50

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Mike Jones

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is confident that Lando Norris, now a seven-time race winner, has the tools to win his home race for the very first time.

“In terms of Lando being able to do that, yes, of course,” said Stella.

“There is absolutely no reason why not — the talent, the quality, the race craft and even the trajectory Lando is in.

“I am so very proud of Lando and how everyone handled the situation in Canada and the fact we came through it more united and stronger.

“But the most important thing (at Silverstone) is back-to-back victories for McLaren.”

George Russell talks us through a lap of Silverstone ahead of British Grand Prix

14:30

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Mike Jones

George Russell took pole position for last year’s British Grand Prix.

Here, ahead of his home race, the Mercedes driver takes the PA news agency on a lap of Silverstone:

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Norris on racing at Silverstone

14:20

,

Mike Jones

Lando Norris says he doesn’t feel any extra pressure racing at Silverstone in his home Grand Prix.

“For me, it is not more pressure,” he revealed.

“Of course, it is the place I want to win more than anywhere else. It puts a smile on my face when I wake up there every day, and it distracts me in a good way.

“There is pressure in every race and I cannot put myself under any more pressure than I do.

“So, it is something to look forward to, to enjoy every lap, enjoy the experience, and to have so many of my fans in my own grandstand cheering me on.

“I am very excited. I would want it to come now. But I need a good sleep first.”

Lando Norris sets sights on British Grand Prix victory after win in Austria

14:10

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Mike Jones

Lando Norris said he wants the British Grand Prix to come now after reigniting his world championship charge with a brilliant win over rival Oscar Piastri in Austria.

Norris will head to his home race at Silverstone in a week’s time a driver reborn after he came out on top of his thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel with McLaren team-mate Piastri in the Styrian mountains.

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Lewis Hamilton returns to Silverstone in last chance saloon for first Ferrari year

14:00

,

Mike Jones

If you’d told Lewis Hamilton four months ago, amid the hoopla of Formula One’s biggest-ever driver move, that he would be “hoping and praying” for a strong result at his beloved Silverstone, he’d likely have laughed you out of the room. Either that or he’d have rolled his eyes. Take your pick.

After all, this was the seven-time F1 world champion moving to the fabled Ferrari. A driver in need of rejuvenation after three years of frustration at Mercedes was joining a team seemingly on the up, having come within a whisker of last year’s constructors’ title. Everything seemed perfectly aligned. With the whole world watching, what could possibly go wrong?

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Tsunoda and Hulkenberg to return

13:50

,

Mike Jones

Arvid Lindblad at Red Bull and Sauber's Paul Aron give thanks to their respective teams for the chance to drive at Silverstone.

The two rookies finished 14th and 16th respectively and will be replaced by the main drives Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg for FP2.

FP1 results

13:45

,

Mike Jones

And the rest:

11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

14. Arvid Lindblad (Red Bull)

15. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

16. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

17. Paul Aron (Sauber)

18. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

19. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

FP1 results

13:42

,

Mike Jones

Here’s the top 10 from FP1:

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. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.412

8. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.459

9. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.475

10. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.540

British GP underway

13:37

,

Mike Jones

This is the first time Lewis Hamilton has been the fastest in a practice session this season.

The British Grand Prix is well underway now with FP2 getting started at 4pm this afternoon.

Can Hamilton replicate his pace from FP1?

Hamilton fastest in FP1!

13:32

,

Mike Jones

Exceptional stuff from the British veteran who gives the home crowd something to celebrate at the start of the weekend.

His Ferrari is the fastest car in FP1 with a soft tyre lap time of 1:26.892.

Lando Norris takes second place, +0.023 seconds behind Hamilton, with Oscar Piastri third.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes fourth and George Russell of Mercedes fifth.

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Hamilton fans getting giddy?

13:26

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Mike Jones

Seeing Lewis Hamilton claim his first win or podium for Ferrari at Silverstone is something his fans willl be hoping for.

The showing in FP1 has been stellar so far with Hamilton at the top of the leaderboard.

There’s four minutes to go but if he comes in in first place then the British crowd will get a bit excited.

There’s a long way to go in this weekend but Hamilton’s started it strongly.

Bortoleto spins!

13:21

,

Mike Jones

Gabriel Bortoleto is the latest driver to find issue with the Copse.

A full spin on the softs at the corner sees the Brazilian take too much kerb and his car twirls across the track.

Gasly, Sainz and now Bortoleto. The Copse is claiming a few drivers this afternoon.

Hamilton tops the leaderboard ahead of Norris and Piastri

13:19

,

Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton - the red blur

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Hamilton first!

13:18

,

Mike Jones

Another driver wanting to impress at Silverstone is Lewis Hamilton.

You can’t look past the two McLaren cars when choosing a winner for the race but Hamilton would be the outside shout, at least for me.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri switch places at the top of the leaderboard before Hamilton pushes both down to the podium places with a soft tyre run on 1:26.892.

He tops the leaderboard with 12 minutes or so to go in FP1.

Lindblad driving for Tsunoda

13:12

,

Mike Jones

Arvid Linblad is driving FP1 for Red Bull today in place of Yuki Tsunoda.

The rumours are that Tsunoda won’t be at Red Bull next year after a tough season as the second driver.

Lindblad is well favoured by Red Bull but it is unlikely he will jump straight to Tsunoda’s seat. Liam Lawson found out the hard way at the start of this year that it is tricky to take a seat in one of the best teams.

Lindblad instead is expected to join the Racing Bulls with either Lawson or Hadjar partnering Verstappen.

Versteppen up to third

13:05

,

Mike Jones

Despite his complaints, Max Verstappen is still quick.

His opening time on the soft tyres is a 1:27.603 for the four-time world champion, placing third on the timesheets.

He is, however, one of the first drivers to take up the softs and as more follow he drops down to fifth.

Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari tops the leaderboard with a rapid 1:27.095.

Understeer for Verstappen

13:03

,

Mike Jones

Max Verstappen isn’t happy. He radios his team complaining about the handling of the car.

“I don’t know,” he says, “it just doesn’t turn at low speed, and then any high speed.

“It’s either big snaps, pile or understeer.”

Rookie on top!

13:00

,

Mike Jones

Liam Lawson went quickest for a little while as he nursed his Racing Bulls car around Silverstone in supreme fashion.

However, it’s his rookie teammate, Isack Hadjar, who sets an ever quicker time on the medium tyres.

Hadjar sets a tap time of 1:27.502, his time 0.063 seconds better than the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

Wind causes issue at the Copse

12:56

,

Mike Jones

Pierre Gasly went off the track at the Copse and now Carlos Sainz has an bit of trouble and goes wider than expected.

He scrapes across the kerb and heads into the pits for some running repairs.

The Williams is set up to test the reliability of their car after some problems through the last Grand Prixs.

Russell challenging McLaren

12:51

,

Mike Jones

George Russell wasn’t happy about throwing away the advantage pole position gave him last year.

He seems more determined than ever to do well at Silverstone this weekend.

If FP1 is anything to go by he’ll be pushing hard to challenging the McLarens.

Norris and Piastri were switching places at the top of the leaderboard but Russell puts in a super laps and leapfrogs both.

Gasly is off!

12:49

,

Mike Jones

Pierre Gasly has suffered a twitch at Copse and flat-spotted his tyres.

The Alpine loses it at the corner, clips too much of the kerb and forces Gasly into a spin on the gravel.

He comes out facing the right way and carries on as though nothing unusual happened.

Mercedes making moves

12:45

,

Mike Jones

George Russell is the new leader with a lap time of 1:27.971 which puts him above the McLaren of Norris who had previous pipped ahead of his teammate Piastri.

Landing in third, just three tenths of a second slower, is Kimi Antonelli. The 18-year-old setting a fast time in the Mercedes.

Mercedes were strong here last season. Russell winning pole position in qualifying and Lewis Hamilton winning the race in the rain.

Brits lead the way

12:41

,

Mike Jones

10 minutes into the session and it’s the British contenders who lead the way.

Lewis Hamilton has the fastest time in his Ferrari of 1:28.380 with George Russell’s Merced