Lando Norris continued his impressive form at the British Grand Prix, dominating both free practice sessions at Silverstone on Friday. The McLaren driver set the fastest time of 1:26.549 in the second session, improving by almost a second from his FP1 time.McLaren’s strong performance was further emphasized by Oscar Piastri’s second-place finish in FP2, creating a 1-2 for the team. This result has raised hopes for a potential home victory for Norris, who finished second to Max Verstappen at Silverstone last year.In a surprising turn of events, Sergio Pérez finished third for Red Bull, despite not participating in the first practice session. This performance was particularly notable given that his teammate and current world champion Max Verstappen struggled, finishing seventh in FP2.Verstappen, who leads Norris by 81 points in the championship, admitted that Red Bull needs to ‘analyse what to do better’ after a challenging day. The Dutch driver noted that his RB20 did not perform well on soft tires, stating, ‘We have work to do. We need to analyse what to do better for tomorrow.’ The practice sessions were marked by changing weather conditions, with rain affecting parts of FP2. This led to cautious driving from many teams, with some drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, testing intermediate tires towards the end of the session.Ferrari showed mixed performances, with Charles Leclerc finishing fifth in FP2, while Carlos Sainz ended up eighth. Mercedes also had a promising start, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing 5th and 6th in FP1 respectively, although they dropped to 10th and 6th in FP2.As the teams prepare for Saturday’s qualifying session, all eyes will be on McLaren to see if they can maintain their impressive pace, while Red Bull and other top teams work to close the gap.
Key points
- Lando Norris led both free practice sessions at the British Grand Prix, with McLaren achieving a 1-2 finish in FP2.
- Sergio Pérez surprised by finishing third for Red Bull in FP2, despite not participating in FP1.
- Max Verstappen struggled, finishing seventh in FP2, admitting Red Bull needs to improve for qualifying.
- Changing weather conditions, including rain, affected the practice sessions and team strategies.
Contradictions👾While most sources report Norris leading both practice sessions, one article suggests that Oscar Piastri led FP2, which contradicts the majority of reports.
