Hamilton can 'dream of a strong weekend'

Lewis Hamilton has nine British Grand Prix wins at Silverstone - a record for an F1 driver at a single circuit

British Grand Prix

Venue: Silverstone Dates: 4-6 July Race start: 15:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Lewis Hamilton said he and Ferrari could "dream of a strong weekend" at the British Grand Prix after challenging McLaren in Friday practice.

McLaren's Lando Norris set the pace at Silverstone, 0.22 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton just 0.079secs further adrift.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren was fourth, 0.470secs off the pace.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, complaining over the radio of a lack of front grip through Silverstone's high-speed corners, was fifth fastest.

Hamilton said: "It was a really good day. Great to see the crowd, amazing to be out on track in a Ferrari here at Silverstone.

"And also the Red Bull and McLaren have an upgrade, so for us to be in the mix still given they have had a step today is really positive.

"Definitely feel we can dream of having a strong weekend but putting it all together and extracting it is another thing.

"But I will prepare myself the best I can to make sure we get the best result. Tomorrow and Sunday there is rain coming as well."

We have a bit of work to do - Norris

Hamilton was fastest in the first session on a day when Ferrari's pace caught the eye of championship leaders McLaren.

McLaren and Red Bull are two of a number of teams who have a new floor for Silverstone, while Ferrari are continuing with the new design they debuted in Austria last weekend.

Hamilton - who has had a difficult start to his first year at Ferrari but has won more times at Silverstone than anyone else, with a record nine victories - said he was finally becoming more at home in the car.

"I'm progressing a lot with the car and much more comfortable on knowing where it needs to be. By P2 we still weren't where we needed to be so struggled a little bit more but definitely know the changes we need to make to the car."

Leclerc, who was the fastest driver on the race-simulation runs at the end of the second session, said: "The day was good. We've been pretty strong so far. It's positive.

"We still need to find some pace in qualifying. McLaren is once again probably the car to beat but in race pace I was happy, I am finding my way.

"I am changing quite a lot the car in weekends recently to try to find some pace in qualifying. For now I don't seem to find the way for that but in the race I am very happy with where we are.

"We are very strong in the race but we have to do a step forward in qualifying."

Norris, 15 points behind Piastri in the championship after his win in Austria on Sunday, said: "The Ferraris have been very, very quick today and they shall be tomorrow.

"We have a bit of work to do. It looked maybe a bit too good today. The Ferraris always catch up into P3 like they did last weekend, so pleased with today but nothing to be too proud about just yet."

Verstappen said: "It was quite a bad day, just no balance in the car and quite difficult corner to corner. So quite a poor day for us in general."

Idea of Verstappen in a Mercedes 'nerve-wracking'

Off track, chatter in the paddock continues to centre around the possibility of Verstappen leaving Red Bull for Mercedes after this season.

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown said: "Max in Mercedes definitely is nerve-wracking (as an idea) because they're a team on the rise.

"Max Verstappen in a Mercedes, that's a nail-biter. I think it would be a disaster for Red Bull if he were to leave there, because he's clearly carrying the team."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "With any driver's contract, there is an element of a performance mechanism, and of course that exists within Max's contract. His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026."

Top 10 in Friday practice

1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:25.816

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.222

3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.301

4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.470

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.498

6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.567

7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.614

8. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.707

9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.708

10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.808

• Full Friday practice classification