British GP: Lewis Hamilton fastest from Kimi Antonelli at Silverstone ahead of Sprint Qualifying | F1 News
Lewis Hamilton was suddenly very fast after suffering a puncture in the only practice session at the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton, a nine-time winner at Silverstone, played down his chances of taking the fight to Mercedes on his home track, but he beat championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.213s with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc 0.599s back.
Antonelli leads George Russell by 40 points in the Drivers’ Championship and 46 points ahead of Hamilton, who vowed on Thursday to “not stop” until he wins a record-breaking eighth world title.
“He has been there all season. He likes these new cars,” he said Sky Sports F1by Anthony Davidson.
“We’ve all been at a loss as to what happened to Lewis Hamilton from 2022 onwards, until now.
“He was a bit lost again and he had doubts. And yes, even a successful athlete like Lewis Hamilton can have doubts. It’s very real and we don’t blame him at all for that. But it’s great to see him back, and he’s enjoying these cars.”
In a further boost to Hamilton, he was once again fastest on the hard tires so looks set to challenge Antonelli – with points up for grabs in Saturday afternoon’s sprint at Silverstone.
Hamilton always brings his best to Silverstone, pointing to the energy of the home crowd and the excitement he gets around the fast track the drivers love, as the reasons for his impressive record at the British Grand Prix.
His advantage over Leclerc in practice and the continuation of Hamilton being the happiest of the two Ferrari drivers in recent races.
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Hamilton revealed that Ferrari is getting to know how to win at Silverstone
Russell was 0.678s behind his former team-mate, and McLaren and Red Bull have work to do before entering the battle at the front.
Oscar Piastri had the fastest spin at Becketts before finishing 9th off the pace in fifth, with Max Verstappen almost a second down in sixth.
Last year’s British Grand Prix winner Lando Norris was seventh, while Isack Hadjar looked strong on the hard tires but was unable to convert that into speed on the soft tyres, as he finished eighth.
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McLaren’s Oscar Piastri turns the track during the first practice session at the British GP
It looks like another close battle between Audi, Racing Bulls and Alpine for the final points at Silverstone.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg finished ninth and half a tenth ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in 10th, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto close behind in 11th.
British GP schedule for Sky Sports F1
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Take a look back at some of the most amazing moments from across the years at the British Grand Prix
Friday July 3rd
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 4th
9.30am: F3 Sprint*
11am: British GP Sprint build-up*
12pm: BRITISH GP SPRINT*
1.40pm: F2 Sprint*
2.50pm: British GP Qualifying buildup*
4pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING*
6pm: F1 Academy Race 1
6.45pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 5th
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: Checkered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Briefing
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is at Silverstone on Sprint weekend for the British Grand Prix – live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One – with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
