2025 British GP FP1: Hamilton Leads at Home

Lewis Hamilton kicked off his homecoming weekend in style by topping the timesheets in FP1 at the 2025 British Grand Prix, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris in a fiercely competitive session. With Silverstone buzzing and the grandstands already near full, the seven-time world champion laid down a 1m26.892s benchmark to lead the early charge in Round 12 of the 2025 F1 World Championship — a track he’s won at a record nine times.

Homegrown heroes dominated the early headlines, with Hamilton, Norris, and George Russell all taking turns at the top before the Ferrari driver reasserted his authority late on soft tyres. Norris came within two-hundredths of a second, while Oscar Piastri — current championship leader — slotted into third. It was a strong early showing from McLaren, who are riding high in what has become a team-exclusive title duel, with Piastri leading Norris by just 15 points heading into the weekend.

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The opening practice wasn’t just about the big names. It also saw the F1 weekend debuts of 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad, who stepped into Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull, and Alpine reserve Paul Aron, who took over Nico Hülkenberg’s Kick Sauber. Aron’s drive comes as part of a unique agreement between the rival teams to share the 21-year-old’s services — a rare move in the modern era.

There was no shortage of incidents either. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto both had spins at the notoriously fast Copse corner, while Liam Lawson — sporting a special edition livery on his Racing Bulls — voiced his frustration over traffic after a close encounter with Lindblad. Carlos Sainz’s Williams spent much of the session in the garage as floor checks were carried out, before he returned on hards and later switched to softs for a late run.

As drivers transitioned from mediums and hards to soft compounds in the second half of the session, the timing screens lit up with improvements, though traffic was a consistent obstacle. Behind the leading trio of Hamilton, Norris, and Piastri came Charles Leclerc in fourth, Russell in fifth, and impressive rookie Isack Hadjar in sixth for Racing Bulls. Alex Albon, Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Max Verstappen — still under intense speculation regarding his 2026 plans — rounded out the top 10.

Just outside the top group, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll placed P11 and P12, ahead of Lindblad in a solid P13 debut. Sainz and Esteban Ocon followed, with Franco Colapinto, Aron, Ollie Bearman, Gasly, and Bortoleto completing the field.

The energy is unmistakable at Silverstone — and if FP1 is anything to go by, this year’s British Grand Prix could deliver fireworks.

2025 British GP FP1 Results

2025 British Grand Prix FP1, 4 July 2025