13:27
Sector one is a fairly even match between Antonelli and Hamilton, Mercedes leads the way in sector two, with Ferrari in sector three. It's a very close-run thing.
Hamilton takes sprint pole at Silverstone
© XPB Images
F1 Silverstone Friday practice and sprint qualifying as it happened
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 British Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Drivers divided over Lego parade lap
- Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren bring upgrades; Mercedes does not
- Super-clipping expected to be a major issue
The ninth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the British Grand Prix.
Silverstone hosted the first official F1 Grand Prix in 1950 and continues to be a firm favourite of both drivers and fans in the modern era.
However, drivers have been open about their fears that a lack of heavy braking zones around the typically high-speed layout could result in drivers coasting through iconic corners like Maggots and Becketts in order to recharge their batteries, rather than testing the absolute limits of grip. Super-clipping has not been an issue of late, but Silverstone was always earmarked as one of the most energy-starved venues on the calendar.
A bizarre dispute is also taking place in regard to Sunday's parade lap, which will take place in Lego go-karts, with each driver having their own vehicle. Whilst some are all for it and are eager to get going, such as Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas, there are others who are less excited about the prospect, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both voicing concern, and the former suggesting he does not intend to take part.
Fresh off the back of his victory at the Red Bull Ring, George Russell is keen to add to his points haul with a first win on home soil, following Hamilton and Lando Norris, who have raised the British flag on the podium for the last two years.
The weekend sees the return of the Sprint Race format, meaning that a single practice session will take place before Sprint Qualifying on Friday. Saturday will see the Sprint Race contested first, before normal programming is resumed, with Qualifying. The Grand Prix will start at 3pm BST on Sunday.
2026 British Grand Prix Friday schedule
FP1 12:30pm BST - 1:30pm BST
Sprint Qualifying: 4:30pm BST - 5:14pm BST
03 Jul 2026
13:50
2026 F1 Silverstone: Full British GP Friday practice results
2026 F1 Silverstone: Full British GP Friday practice results
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in practice for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, the opening session of the latest sprint weekend.
Hamilton is searching for a record-extending tenth victory at Silverstone, and got off on the right foot on Friday.
Perez at Silverstone
© XPB Images
13:30
Chequered Flag
The chequered flag falls, and Hamilton ends the session as the fastest driver.
13:26
Into the final five minutes of the session.
13:24
WOW! Hamilton moves back to the top with a 1m29.260s! The grandstands erupt. Could he be on for a 10th British Grand Prix victory?
13:22
Hamilton is going purple, though!
13:21
Antonelli smashes Russell's time out of the water! A 1m29.473s puts him comfortably to the top. But Hamilton is about to start his effort.
13:20
We're under the 90s mark! Piastri goes fastest, but Russell betters him with a 1m29.938s.
13:20
After Piastri's spin, Verstappen was looked at for a yellow flag infringement. However, no further action was the decision. A sensible moment.
13:18
Soft tyres are on their way. Antonelli and Russell have fitted the red-walled tyres too.
13:17
Out comes Piastri. Softs for the McLaren driver.
Lawson is frustrated with Hulkenberg, who exited the pits and held his line, despite the Racing Bulls driver being at the start of a push lap.
13:16
Up to P13 for Bottas on softs. He's around seven-tenths clear of team-mate Perez.
13:15
Top 10
With 15 minutes to go, the top 10 is:
- Hamilton
- Antonelli
- Hadjar
- Russell
- Leclerc
- Verstappen
- Piastri
- Norris
- Bortoleto
- Lawson
13:14
It's a relatively quiet track right now, with only five drivers lapping.
13:12
Mediums for the Racing Bulls drivers, and softs for Perez. The tyres on display will highlight where teams expect to be in qualifying, with the compounds in each phase of Sprint Qualifying mandated in the regulations.
13:09
Gasly reports that his Alpine is very "uncomfortable". "I don't like this," he says. In P15 at present, it hasn't been a smooth ride.
13:06
Yello flags are briefly in evidence, as Piastri goes off at Becketts. He loses the rear and spins off at high speed. "These tyres are dead now", he reports after causing huge flat spots.
13:04
Alonso improves to P18 as Stroll comes out on softs, and Hamilton jumps to the top, with a 1m30.521s, on hards still.
13:01
Alonso is the first driver to move off the hard tyres, and puts on the softs. On a positive, Aston Martin appear to be on the pace of Cadillac this weekend, which hasn't always been the case of late.
12:56
Speaking about the potential for the weekend, Zak Brown claims that McLaren is 'not where we want to be' at present, but he expects to be back to winning ways before the summer break with additional parts that are in the pipeline.
12:54
Antonelli moves back to the top before pitting, with a 1m30.777s. Hamilton climbs back up to fourth after being caught out by a gust at Turn 3.
At the rear of the order, Alonso and Stroll continue for Aston Martin.
12:50
Russell moves up to P3 and this is extremely tight, with just 0.017s separating the top three.
12:47
After their initial efforts, drivers are beginning to return to the pits for setup changes and early debriefs.
12:46
Top 10
15 minutes into the session, here is the top 10:
- Hadjar
- Antonelli
- Verstappen
- Piastri
- Leclerc
- Hamilton
- Noris
- Lawson
- Russell
- Bortoleto
12:44
Red Bull appears to have some solid pace so far, with Hadjar going fastest with a 1m30.969s. Verstappen has just dropped to third place, after Antonelli went 0.007s slower than Hadjar.