Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the only practice session ahead of the 2026 British Grand Prix sprint qualifying at Silverstone, posting the fastest lap time on the soft tyre compound. The seven-time world champion clocked a 1m29.260s, edging out championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.213 seconds in a session that provided valuable insights into team performance under hot track conditions.
Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, had led for much of the session before Hamilton’s late surge. His best lap was a 1m29.473s, which was narrowly beaten by Hamilton’s final effort. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured third place with a 1m29.859s, just ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, who posted a 1m29.938s. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, despite spinning during the session, managed to finish fifth fastest.
The session was the sole practice opportunity before sprint qualifying, with teams initially running on hard tyres before switching to softer compounds for quicker laps. The track temperature peaked at 49°C, influencing tyre behaviour and power unit performance. This environment highlighted the impact of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) on the teams, with Red Bull and Mercedes expected to benefit from their power-sensitive packages at Silverstone.
Max Verstappen was sixth fastest, followed by Lando Norris in seventh and Isack Hadjar eighth. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson completed the top ten. The session offered a glimpse of how the teams are adapting to the sprint weekend format and managing tyre performance under challenging heat.
Oscar Piastri’s spin did not prevent him from setting a competitive time, indicating McLaren’s ongoing efforts to find pace. Meanwhile, the close times among the top drivers suggest a tightly contested weekend ahead, although practice times do not necessarily predict qualifying or race results.
Hamilton’s late lap underlined his ability to extract maximum performance when it counts, setting a benchmark for the weekend. The session also reflected the technical developments teams have introduced, particularly in power unit upgrades, which remain a significant factor at Silverstone due to its power-sensitive layout.
The practice session provided teams and drivers with crucial data ahead of sprint qualifying, shaping the competitive picture for the British Grand Prix weekend. The conditions and lap times underline the ongoing technical and strategic challenges faced by the teams as they seek to optimise performance in the evolving Formula 1® format.
