Hamilton admits Mercedes have ‘work to do’ after Friday practice at Silverstone as Russell gets set for mixed conditions

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Lando Norris set the pace in front of his home fans during the first practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend, with the McLaren driver leading the way from Lance Stroll and Oscar Piastri.

Off the back of his victory last time out in Austria, George Russell led several cars out as FP1 got under way in dry conditions, while some ominous dark clouds lingered on a day with a forecasted 60% chance of rain.

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Also early on the track was Oliver Bearman, participating in his third free practice hour of the season with Haas following the news that he will join the squad on the grid for 2025. The Briton was joined by fellow F2 drivers Isack Hadjar and Franco Colapinto – behind the wheel for Red Bull and Williams respectively – along with Alpine junior Jack Doohan.

Just as Russell set an initial benchmark of 1m 28.888s, there was trouble 10 minutes into the session when Yuki Tsunoda beached his RB in the gravel at Luffield, resulting in the red flags being thrown to allow for the stricken VCARB 01 to be recovered.