If you are listening to 5 live sports extra commentary right now this is the video Jack Nicholls referred to.  

Williams F1 development driver Alex Lynn talks to BBC Radio 5 live's Tom Clarkson about what goes through his mind around a lap of Silverstone.

The Mercedes pair are out on the track now and it doesn't take long for them to bring the times down. Nico Rosberg goes quickest with 1:33.484 before Lewis Hamilton goes a tenth of a second quicker.

Image source, Reuters

Just over a quarter of an hour gone and there's a few more times popping up now. It's a Red Bull one-two, with Max Verstappen leading away with 1:35.195. 

Valtteri Bottas, Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen are also up on the timing board.

Image source, Reuters

This. Is. Amazing. 

Love it.

Tom Clarkson
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

I think this halo is neither one thing or the other. If the feeling is that the helmet is not enough protection, then make it a fully enclosed cockpit. This is a bit of a halfway house.

Jack Nicholls, Tom Clarkson and Allan McNish are currently sharing their first British Grand Prix memories on 5 live sports extra.

What's the first one you remember watching or attending? Let us know via #bbcf1., external

Image source, Rex Features

Daniel Ricciardo gets us up and running with the first timed lap of the weekend, a 1:37.297.

Meanwhile, out pops Sebastian Vettel with the revised 'halo' head protection bolted onto his cockpit.  

McLaren have been slowly inching forward this year. Fernando Alonso took a fifth place in Monaco and Jenson Button was sixth in Austria last weekend. For the British Grand Prix, another slight step is expected, thanks to an upgrade on the intake/induction system aimed at better combustion efficiency - and with it some more power. 

Alonso said: “I expect another step in performance, especially on the engine side. The car is basically similar of the same as Austria but the characteristics of the corners is a little bit better for us and the extra power we can be more competitive and get back to the points, which I have missed since Monaco. This is the race we change the situation and we come back to our normal standards.” 

There's one other driver change for this session with Ferrari protege Charles Leclerc substituting Esteban Gutierrez at Haas.

Leclerc is currently leading the GP3 standings and certainly knows his way around Silverstone, having won here in his debut outing in the Formula 3 European Championship last season.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Silverstone

Keep an eye out during the first session for the Renault team, who have drafted in reserve driver Esteban Ocon for his second race weekend outing of the year. 

The Frenchman is driving Kevin Magnussen’s car this morning and it’s a decent bet he might be in one of them next year, too. Ocon, who beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the European Formula Three title a couple of years ago, is very much on the radar of Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur for 2017. 

On Vasseur, by the way, his job title has changed since last weekend, from racing director to team principal. That in itself means not much, but it does reflect a refocusing of extra energy on Renault’s UK chassis base, where managing director Cyril Abiteboul is to base himself from now on.

The timer is ticking down because 90 minutes of first practice is under way.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

That box doesn't look particularly stable.

Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

"I am stood in front of the Ferrari garage and we have a halo around Sebastian Vettel. He is ready to go out and test that safety item they have for next year."

Mercedes say there will be repercussions if Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collide again. If you were Toto Wolff, how would you punish them?

Get involved via #bbcf1, external, text in on 81111 (UK only) or post a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Lots of colours below, the meaning of which I don't really understand but the gist of it is that the weather is very typically British. Grey, dull and the ever looming threat of some rain.

Right, on with the here and now. Ninety minutes of first practice gets under way at 10:00 BST, and you can listen to the commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, which is also available on this page.

Here's a blast from the past! Well remembered, sir.