The new format for the weekend has significantly modified the schedule for a first free practice session. For more than half an hour, all the riders were dedicated to rehearsing with the media, which aim to be the race tires both for qualifying for the sprint on Saturday and especially on Sunday.
That meant that no one was looking for good laps on softs until well into the session. Max verstappen was the one that led the singing voice from the first moment, that with that compound he got a brilliant lap more than 7 tenths faster than Lando norris Y Lewis hamilton (one thousandth between them). The seven-time champion was surprised to the point of wondering “where did the great turn of the World Cup leader come from”.
Norris’s good time could have been even better if he had used the softs. McLaren was the only team of the die that did not practice with either of its two drivers with the red wheels.
After them came the Ferrari men, with Charles Leclerc 4th and Carlos Sainz 6th, achieved their times with less than 10 minutes to go. In a session with tests, the Madrilenian starred in one of the few scares of the day with a spin.
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Fernando Alonso He was one of those who did not use soft tires, which explains why he did not go to the ‘top 10’. The Spaniard dedicated the session above all to trying hard and medium duty, aware that the temperature will be higher than usual here. He finished 14th.
Free times table 1 British Grand Prix
Friday’s classification, which will settle the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint classification, will take place at 7:00 p.m.