Lewis Hamilton was unexpectedly fastest after a blistering lap in the only practice session at the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton, a nine-time winner at Silverstone, played down his chances to take the fight to Mercedes at his home track, but beat championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.213s with his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc 0.599s back.
Antonelli is 40 points ahead of George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship and 46 points in front of Hamilton, who vowed on Thursday that he “won’t stop” until he wins a record-breaking eighth world title.
“He’s been on it all season. He’s loving these new cars,” said Sky Sports F1‘s Anthony Davidson.
“We were all a bit lost as to what happened to Lewis Hamilton from 2022 onwards basically, until now.
“He was a little a bit lost as well and doubted himself. And yes, even an accomplished athlete like Lewis Hamilton can doubt themselves. It’s a very real thing and we don’t blame him for that at all. But it’s so good to see him back, and he’s enjoying these cars.”
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Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Hamilton said he ‘won’t stop’ until he wins an eighth world title
In more encouragement for Hamilton, he was also quickest on the hard tyre runs so appears to genuinely be in with a chance of making inroads into Antonelli’s championship lead – with points also on offer for Saturday afternoon’s Sprint at Silverstone.
Hamilton always brings his best level to Silverstone, pointing to the energy of the home crowd and the enjoyment he gets around the high-speed track which the drivers adore, as reasons for his extraordinary record at the British Grand Prix.
His advantage over Leclerc in practice also a continuation of Hamilton being the happier of the two Ferrari drivers in recent races.
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Hamilton revealed Ferrari is tapping into his knowledge on how to claim victory at Silverstone
Russell was 0.678s behind his former team-mate, while McLaren and Red Bull have work to do ahead to get into the fight at the front.
Oscar Piastri had a high-speed spin at Becketts before finishing nine tenths off the pace in fifth, with Max Verstappen nearly one second down in sixth.
Last year’s British Grand Prix winner Lando Norris was seventh, while Isack Hadjar looked strong on the hard tyres but could not convert that into fast soft-tyre pace, as he finished eighth.
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McLaren’s Oscar Piastri spins off the track during the first practice session at the British GP
It looked to be another close fight between Audi, Racing Bulls and Alpine for the final points-paying positions at Silverstone.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg was ninth and one tenth ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in 10th, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto close behind in 11th.
Sky Sports F1’s British GP schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the British Grand Prix
Friday July 3
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying*
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying*
3.35pm: British GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 4.30pm)*
5.55pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
Saturday July 4
9.30am: F3 Sprint*
11am: British GP Sprint build-up*
12pm: BRITISH GP SPRINT*
1.40pm: F2 Sprint*
2.50pm: British GP Qualifying build-up*
4pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING*
6pm: F1 Academy Race 1
6.45pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 5
8.20am: F3 Feature Race*
9.55am: F1 Academy Race 2*
11.10am: F2 Feature Race*
12.55pm: Grand Prix Sunday: British GP build-up*
3pm: THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX*
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Silverstone for a Sprint weekend at the British Grand Prix – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One – with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime