
Lewis Hamilton sets pace in first practice to aid hopes of ending podium drought
The 40-year-old has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here but is yet to stand on the podium in Ferrari colours.
The Scuderia delivered an improved performance in Austria last weekend, with Charles Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton in fourth.
Lewis loves this track 😍 He's just gone P1 💪#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/KRnsr7aYAJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 4, 2025
Hamilton, whose streak of 11 races without a podium finish is the longest of his career – continued that progress by finishing 0.023 seconds ahead of compatriot Lando Norris.
Norris trails McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by 15 points in the championship standings following his victory in Austria and is bidding to secure back-to-back Formula One wins for the first time.
The 25-year-old has his own grandstand at Silverstone, hosting 10,000 of his fans, and they would have enjoyed seeing a British duo at the top of the standings during Friday's opening running.
Piastri was third fastest, 0.150sec off the pace, ahead of Leclerc in fourth.
Max Verstappen, who is now 61 points behind Piastri in the standings after his first-lap elimination in Austria, again complained about handling issues with his Red Bull.
The four-time world champion was only 10th fastest
British driver Arvid Lindblad drove the other Red Bull during first practice – becoming only the second driver under 18 to take part in a Grand Prix weekend, after Verstappen.
The 17-year-old delivered a respectable lap time to finish 13th.
George Russell, whose future has dominated talk ahead of the weekend, was fifth for Mercedes.
Second practice gets under way at 1600 BST.

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South Wales Argus
44 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Sport minister rejects calls to consult on alcohol ban in football stands
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Mr French also urged the Government to scrap the 'legacy ban which sees fans rushing to drink their beer before kick-off and at half-time'. On new clause one, he said: 'The alcohol ban, which has been in place since 1985, was introduced to help curb hooliganism on the terraces during the problematic era of British football. 'But 40 years on, and with the modern game enjoying a more family-friendly atmosphere in stadiums across the country, clubs, fans and the Conservatives are urging the Government to consult on lifting the ban on alcohol. 'As football fans know, we have this legacy ban which sees fans rushing to drink their beer before kick-off and at half-time, this often leads to the fans being delayed entering the stadiums and overcrowding on the concourses. 'This is why we have listened to clubs and fans, especially those lower down the football pyramid, and are urging the Government to end the two-tier approach to football plans as part of their Football Governance Bill.' 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'The Government is committed to looking further at this issue and supporting the families and football authorities to come together to address issues of lifelong consequences from concussion as well as post-career mental health and financial crises. 'I'm afraid this amendment is not within the tight regulatory scope of the Bill, although that does not mean the Government is not aware and very sympathetic to the calls that are being made on this issue, both in this House and for many former players and their families. 'This Bill is focused on the financial sustainability of football clubs up and down the country.' The Liberal Democrats had also tabled an amendment which proposed that at least 10 Premier League football matches should be made available on free-to-air television channels such as the BBC or ITV. The party's culture spokesperson Max Wilkinson said: 'If we are to get the next generation of fans involved, the easiest way to make sure that they are entertained and that they're engaging is by making football free-to-air.' Ms Peacock said: 'The Government believes that the current list of events works well, and it strikes an appropriate balance between access to sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue. 'In domestic football, the present arrangements under the listed events regime have protected key moments such as the FA Cup final, while ensuring that the Premier League, the EFL, and the FA, are able to raise billions of pounds annually, which is invested back into the pyramid. 'We all want to see more matches being televised, free-to-air, but that must be balanced against investment and not risk it.'


Powys County Times
44 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Wimbledon diary: Sir Ian McKellen takes in the tennis and fans pack Henman Hill
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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Classic F1 steering wheel stolen during spate of damage at British Grand Prix
The engineer running the car blamed poor security, and said the incident had a left a 'sour taste in the mouth' about the event. The wheel was stolen at about 2.30pm on Friday while team members were eating lunch. The 1990 Leyton House CG901 was designed by F1 design guru Adrian Newey (Russell Sheppard/PA) Another of the team's classic F1 racers on display was used 'like a climbing frame' by visitors, while a separate car sustained thousands of pounds worth of damage when someone tried to climb inside, police said. Race engineer Russell Sheppard said the 1990 Leyton House CG901 was due out on track after the theft, and was only able to make it when a replacement wheel was found at the last minute. Northamptonshire Police has released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to following the theft. Mr Sheppard, who works for Martin Stretton Racing, said the wheel was irreplaceable. He told the PA news agency: 'We'd just left the car for lunch, we came back and went to do some work on the car, and it's like, 'where's the steering wheel?' 'It's very sad, because it's an original piece of the car, original piece of history for it. Northamptonshire Police released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to following the theft (Northamptonshire Police/PA) 'It would be nice to reunite it all together.' The Leyton House was designed by F1 design guru Adrian Newey for the 1990 Formula One World Championship. It was due to be driven at Silverstone by Ivan Capelli, who used it during the 1990 World Championship. Speaking about the stolen wheel, Mr Sheppard said: 'It's bespoke to the car, because the 1990s cars, the cockpits are so small you have to have a small wheel with a very small grip on it. 'I've been speaking to the people who made it in Italy originally, and sadly, they don't produce them anymore. 'We've got to go down the road of getting one bespoke made. 'It's just the hassle, it's the cost, it's an unnecessary procedure you have to go through which we shouldn't have to be doing.' Mr Sheppard said visitors had also climbed over a second historic F1 car on display. 'We had a Forti, another 1996 Formula One car on one of the other stands, and people were just using it like a climbing frame,' he said. 'We haven't seen any damage on that yet. We're just about going through it today. 'We're here to show off history and keep things moving and alive. 'People doing things like this, sadly, it puts a sour taste in your mouth. The car was due to be driven at Silverstone by Ivan Capelli, who used it during the 1990 World Championship (Russell Sheppard/PA) 'Hopefully next time, security will be even more. 'Sadly, the security guards aren't security people. They're just people that stand there. 'They're not being informed of what to do and how to do it.' Around 500,000 people visited the circuit over the weekend which saw Lando Norris win the British Grand Prix for the first time in his career. A total of 34 crimes were reported during the event, including theft, criminal damage, assault and drugs possession, with 20 arrests made, police said. A separate classic Formula One car on display at Silverstone sustained 'several thousands of pounds worth of damage', police said. It was alleged to have been caused by someone 'accessing the display stand and climbing into the vehicle'. Three men, aged 23, 25 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage but were released with no further action. Despite his sadness at the loss of the wheel, the engineer said the social media response to the theft had been 'amazing'. 'I'm not into social media that much, but the power of social media has been fantastic for this, everybody is sharing it around,' he said. 'It's amazing how many people have contacted us.'