Lewis Hamilton has put Ferrari on the front foot at Silverstone, topping the only practice session before British Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying and immediately tightening the pressure around Friday afternoon.
The seven-time world champion set a 1:29.260 to lead Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 0.213s, according to Sky Sports’ session report. With Sprint Qualifying scheduled for 16:30 local time, Ferrari now have a live reference point rather than another abstract Silverstone promise.
Hamilton turns practice into Ferrari evidence
That matters because this weekend had already been framed by concerns over how the new energy rules would reshape Silverstone’s high-speed rhythm. Hamilton’s early pace does not cancel that argument, but it gives Ferrari something more useful: proof that the car can switch on quickly over one lap.
It also sharpens the comparison with Antonelli. The Mercedes rookie remains the championship benchmark, and finishing second in the only rehearsal keeps him directly in Ferrari’s path before the competitive sessions begin.
For Hamilton, the bigger prize is still Sunday. He already owns a record nine British Grand Prix victories, and another would carry obvious Ferrari weight. Yet on a Sprint weekend, the first meaningful swing comes now: one practice hour, one qualifying hit, no room for a slow read.
ReadMotorSport has already covered why Hamilton and Norris view Silverstone as a rules test. FP1 has now added a cleaner question: can Ferrari turn Hamilton’s marker into front-row authority when the track goes live?
