Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the opening free-practice session for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, clocking 1 minute 26.892 seconds in his Ferrari SF-25. It is the seven-time world champion’s first time at the top of a timing sheet since switching to the Italian team and comes at his home circuit, where he holds a record nine race wins. McLaren continued to show strong form with Lando Norris and championship leader Oscar Piastri finishing second and third respectively, while Charles Leclerc placed fourth in the sister Ferrari. Both Racing Bulls cars finished inside the top ten, and Red Bull’s main squad remained outside the leading quartet as it searches for balance after recent struggles. Friday’s session also featured two FIA-mandated rookie runs: 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad took over Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull, and Alpine reserve Paul Aron logged laps for Sauber. Alpine’s full-season rookie Franco Colapinto ended the hour 16th, comfortably ahead of team-mate Pierre Gasly despite briefly slipping off track. Teams will return for a second one-hour practice later today before final tuning on Saturday. Piastri leads the drivers’ standings by 15 points over Norris heading into round 12 of the 2025 season, with Max Verstappen a further 46 points adrift.