Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari set the fastest time during practice for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, ahead of sprint qualifying later on Friday. The seven-time world champion recorded a time 0.213 seconds quicker than championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc was also faster than George Russell, who secured a win in Austria last weekend. McLaren's Oscar Piastri was fifth, over 0.8 seconds off Hamilton's pace, despite a mid-session spin.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull was sixth fastest and appeared to struggle for grip, finishing 0.980 seconds behind Hamilton. The second McLaren of Lando Norris and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar followed, with Nico Hulkenberg and Liam Lawson completing the top 10.
The session took place under clear skies with temperatures around 23C. A record crowd of 500,000 is expected over the weekend at Silverstone.
Hamilton, who holds the record for most wins at the track with nine, was a surprise pace-setter. He had previously suggested that Ferrari might lose significant time on the straights compared to Mercedes, as they did in Austria. Despite his struggles in Austria, Hamilton achieved his first victory for Ferrari in Barcelona two weeks prior.
The practice session was largely uneventful, with the exception of Piastri's spin. Sprint qualifying was scheduled to begin at 16:30 BST.