Lewis Hamilton topped the only free practice session for the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, posting a time of 1:29.260 to finish 0.213 seconds clear of championship standings leader Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes, according to official FIA timing data.
The seven-time world champion, who is targeting a record-extending 10th victory at Silverstone, led the pit lane queue when the session opened and steadily built pace throughout the 60-minute hour. Running to the Sprint format, the session represented the teams’ sole opportunity to gather data before competitive action begins with Sprint Qualifying later on Friday.
Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc completed the top three with a 1:29.859, finishing 0.599 seconds off the pace. George Russell was fourth for Mercedes at 0.678 seconds back, while Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five for McLaren despite a dramatic moment mid-session when he lost the rear of his car through Becketts and slid backwards into the run-off area. The Australian narrowly avoided the barriers and was able to continue.
Mercedes appeared strong throughout the session, with Antonelli setting the early benchmark of 1:32.579 on hard tyres before progressively lowering his time to 1:30.777 at the midway point. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar also showed encouraging early pace, briefly topping the order before the qualifying simulation runs reshuffled the standings in the final 10 minutes.
When the leading runners switched to soft tyres for their qualifying simulations, Piastri was the first frontrunner to set a competitive time at 1:30.147 before Russell and then Antonelli moved ahead. Hamilton responded with six minutes remaining, delivering his session-best 1:29.260 to the delight of the home crowd. Antonelli did not improve on his subsequent attempts.
Max Verstappen finished sixth for Red Bull with a best lap of 1:30.240, nearly a second off Hamilton’s pace. Lando Norris had a difficult session in the second McLaren, ending seventh and 1.028 seconds adrift after having a lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and being forced to abort another attempt. Hadjar slipped to eighth after his strong early showing, while Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson completed the top 10.
Further down the order, Franco Colapinto was 11th for Alpine, followed by Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon set identical times of 1:31.684 in 15th and 16th. Cadillac pair Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were 18th and 19th, while Aston Martin endured a difficult session with Fernando Alonso 20th and Lance Stroll last of the 22 drivers.