Norris tops Silverstone practice
In gusty conditions at the former airfield circuit in central England, the 25-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 25.816 seconds to outpace Charles Leclerc by 0.222 seconds.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, a record nine-time winner of his home race, was three-tenths adrift in third after topping FP1, his first practice success since last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix and his first with Ferrari.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who leads Norris by 15 points, was fourth in the second McLaren ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen, who spent much time grumbling about the balance and performance of his Red Bull.
Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes ahead of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, George Russell in the second Mercedes and RB rookies Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson.
'That was a good lap from Lando,' said McLaren chief Zak Brown.
'But Ferrari look very strong here and they're fast on both one lap and on race runs.'
After a fevered break replete with rumour in the paddock Red Bull boss Christian Horner did little to quell stories claiming Verstappen was bound for Mercedes even when a chance to categorically deny it was presented to him.
Max exit clause
'Contracts between the drivers and the team are always going to remain confidential,' he told a news conference.
'And with any driver's contract, there is an element of performance mechanism and that exists within Max's contract.
'Now, absolutely, his intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It's inevitable that he's of huge interest to any other team and in the pit lane.'
Horner's comments confirmed the existence of an exit clause for Verstappen that, it is widely believed, may permit him to agree to join another team if he is outside the top three in the drivers' championship at the end of July.
All of this was only a slight distraction from Hamilton's performance in topping the times in FP1 for Ferrari, his first practice success since last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix with Mercedes – and he began FP2 in the same vein by clocking 1:27.280 to set the pace on mediums.
After briefly being overhauled by the McLaren duo, he trimmed his time to 1:26.902 while Verstappen was complaining 'Have you seen my front tyres in the high speed? They just don't respond'.
He was 10th after 20 minutes when Carlos Sainz, affected by the wind, spun his Williams out of Luffield and almost hit Nico Hulkenberg before Hamilton regained top spot from Leclerc by three-tenths in 1:26.592.
The top men bolted on softs with 30 minutes remaining and after Mercedes briefly took control, Leclerc went fastest ahead of Piastri before Norris delighted his fans, in the grandstands named after him, in 1:25.816 to move clear.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Daily Tribune
Norris tops Silverstone practice
Lando Norris thrilled his home fans at Silverstone when he topped the times for McLaren ahead of both Ferraris in second practice yesterday for this weekend's British Grand Prix. In gusty conditions at the former airfield circuit in central England, the 25-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 25.816 seconds to outpace Charles Leclerc by 0.222 seconds. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, a record nine-time winner of his home race, was three-tenths adrift in third after topping FP1, his first practice success since last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix and his first with Ferrari. Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who leads Norris by 15 points, was fourth in the second McLaren ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen, who spent much time grumbling about the balance and performance of his Red Bull. Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes ahead of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, George Russell in the second Mercedes and RB rookies Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson. 'That was a good lap from Lando,' said McLaren chief Zak Brown. 'But Ferrari look very strong here and they're fast on both one lap and on race runs.' After a fevered break replete with rumour in the paddock Red Bull boss Christian Horner did little to quell stories claiming Verstappen was bound for Mercedes even when a chance to categorically deny it was presented to him. Max exit clause 'Contracts between the drivers and the team are always going to remain confidential,' he told a news conference. 'And with any driver's contract, there is an element of performance mechanism and that exists within Max's contract. 'Now, absolutely, his intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It's inevitable that he's of huge interest to any other team and in the pit lane.' Horner's comments confirmed the existence of an exit clause for Verstappen that, it is widely believed, may permit him to agree to join another team if he is outside the top three in the drivers' championship at the end of July. All of this was only a slight distraction from Hamilton's performance in topping the times in FP1 for Ferrari, his first practice success since last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix with Mercedes – and he began FP2 in the same vein by clocking 1:27.280 to set the pace on mediums. After briefly being overhauled by the McLaren duo, he trimmed his time to 1:26.902 while Verstappen was complaining 'Have you seen my front tyres in the high speed? They just don't respond'. He was 10th after 20 minutes when Carlos Sainz, affected by the wind, spun his Williams out of Luffield and almost hit Nico Hulkenberg before Hamilton regained top spot from Leclerc by three-tenths in 1:26.592. The top men bolted on softs with 30 minutes remaining and after Mercedes briefly took control, Leclerc went fastest ahead of Piastri before Norris delighted his fans, in the grandstands named after him, in 1:25.816 to move clear.
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Russell shrugs off reports, expects to sign new F1 deal within weeks
George Russell yesterday shrugged aside reports that he is set to be replaced at Mercedes by arch-rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull, saying he expects to sign a new Silver Arrows contract in 'the next couple of weeks'. The 27-year-old Briton, who earlier this week took delivery of a Mercedes AMG ONE supercar valued at $2.7 million (2.3 million euro), was in a relaxed mood at a news conference ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix. 'There are a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public, not broadcast, and I know where their loyalty lies,' he told reporters. 'It doesn't need to be public and it doesn't need to be broadcast to everybody. 'We've obviously spoken a little bit more over the last week because there are numerous news articles and whatnot out there. In all honesty, it doesn't really change anything on my side. 'Obviously there's a lot of questions about it, but the more we speak or the less we speak about it, nothing really changes. It'll happen when the time is right. I expect probably in the next couple of weeks, probably, something to happen.' He reiterated his view that his results and performances will determine his future whether or not four-time champion Verstappen has accepted an offer from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as reported by Sky Sport Italia. 'I have quite a thick skin and I don't really read much news or listen to rumours,' he said. 'I just focus on the facts and on driving. I said it at the start of the year: -- you can have a contract, but if you don't perform, you're out.'
Gulf Weekly
3 days ago
- Gulf Weekly
All eyes on Silverstone
Three British winners have their sights on a home grand prix victory this weekend but Oscar Piastri could rain on that particular parade as Formula One returns to where the championship started 75 years ago. Australia's championship leader can still count on plenty of support as a McLaren driver but much of the crowd, and certainly the 10,000 in Silverstone's sold-out 'Landostand', will be cheering more for British teammate Lando Norris. Norris won Piastri's home grand prix in Melbourne in March, an added incentive for the Australian at Silverstone, and the pair are turning the season into a two-horse race as the campaign reaches the halfway point. Piastri is chasing a sixth win in 12 races while Norris arrives from Austria on a high after dominating every practice session he took part in, taking pole by a huge margin and holding off his teammate to win. The two are 15 points apart, with Red Bull's reigning four-times world champion Max Verstappen third overall but now a hefty 61 points off the lead after a first retirement of the season at his team's home track at Spielberg. 'My favourite weekend of the year,' said Norris, who has yet to take back-to-back wins. 'It's already a special circuit but to also have my family, friends, home fans and so many of the team there supporting us takes it to another level. I'll try to make sure I give the fans a wave as I drive past.' Piastri recalled he had fans chanting his name at Silverstone not so long ago. 'I am not sure I will get that again but they have always been very accepting of me. I race for a British team. I am expecting that there will be more Lando fans than there are for me but that's fair enough,' he said. If Norris's support is strong, then Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton will always be the big sentimental favourite. The last two races have been won by British drivers – George Russell for Mercedes in Canada and then Norris last weekend. Could Hamilton make it three and send the crowd crazy? The 40-year-old won with Mercedes last year for a record ninth time and taking that tally into double figures, in what will be his first home appearance in the Italian team's red colours, would be something else. Ferrari are the only top-four team without a win this season, other than Hamilton's Shanghai sprint success, and the seven-times world champion has yet to stand on the podium for his new employers. He has also gone 13 races without a top-three finish, a career low. On the plus side, Ferrari were second fastest in Austria with Charles Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth and a new floor seems to be doing what it was supposed to do. Hamilton usually manages to produce something special at Silverstone, set to welcome a record half-million fans this time over the four days. Last year he turned up after 52 races without a win and seized one of the most emotional triumphs of his extraordinary career. Russell, on pole as Hamilton's teammate last year, also has a strong chance – particularly if temperatures cool – and will be eager to bounce back from a tough weekend in Austria. Italian rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli meanwhile carries over a three-place grid drop from Austria. Britain's fourth driver, Oliver Bearman at Haas, will be targeting points while the same applies to British-born Thai Alex Albon at Williams.
