Pierre Gasly was all on his own out there for a while, but the Toro Rosso driver is now joined by Stoffel Vandoorne.

Sebastian Vettel is in having the floor changed on his Ferrari, as we have a bit of a lull in the session. Let's see if he can make up the time on Lewis Hamilton in the time that remains. We've just passed the halfway point of FP1.

Image source, Getty Images

Taya the Wolf: Don't forget they resurfaced it with MotoGP in mind, not F1...

It's certainly not ideal for F1, although it's probably still a lot better than the pothole misery that pervades much of south Manchester. And I know it's because the council has no money, before anyone tweets in...

Lewis Hamilton, despite his fast time, is not very happy with the state of the surface. "This track is the bumpiest I've ever been on," he says over the team radio. It was only resurfaced in February, but it doesn't seem to be much fun to drive on at present.

Image source, Reuters

Now THAT is a tattoo...

Image source, PA

Lewis Hamilton is quickest at his home Grand Prix, with a time of 1:28.908 taking him 0.336 seconds clear of Sebastian Vettel. So far, so good for Hamilton and Mercedes. But then it was like this last weekend...

Image source, PA

Andrew Benson, contributing to the BBC Radio 5 live sports extra commentary as well as writing reports from us, has been very strong this morning on Kimi Raikkonen's future in F1.

"Charles Leclerc will be in the Ferrari next year," Benson says. "They've decided that. Raikkonen will be out. That was decided in Austria. I've had further conformation of it this morning."

"It's because Leclerc has proved after nine races this season that he is a megastar in the making. They've decided that now's the time. And Raikkonen's been a bit lukewarm and inconsistent as usual."

Image source, Reuters

Sebastian Vettel has just gone fastest in 1:29.244, oving him 0.225 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. Let's take a look at the fastest times so far...

1) VET 1:29.244

2) VER +0.225

3) RAI +0.242

4) BOT +0.597

5) OCO +0.873

6) RIC +1.075

Rhydian: A Samuel Beckett reference? How very highbrow for a Friday morning.

I'll go on.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

The hand of Fernando Alonso was seen by many in the changes that have been wrought at McLaren this week. Perhaps not in racing director Eric Boullier’s “resignation”, but in the appointment of Andrea Stella as performance director and Gil De Ferran as sporting director.

Stella went to McLaren from Ferrari with Alonso in 2015, and they have worked together since 2010. De Ferran and Alonso became close when the Brazilian acted as Alonso’s driver coach at last year’s Indianapolis 500. Alonso says he was “just a driver”, and confronted with boss Zak Brown’s claim that he had “consulted” Alonso, the Spaniard said he was “not consutled, I was informed”. “I am just a driver,” he added.

Image source, Getty Images

Sergey Sirotkin has just spun off into the gravel at Club corner. Start as you mean to go on, Williams...

Image source, Formula 1 Twitter

They've just been discussing the McLaren situation on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.

Jack Nicholls: "Will we still be around in 10 years time, commentating on Formula One?"

Jolyon Palmer: "Who knows?"

Blimey, this has gone a bit Beckett all of a sudden. That's as in Samuel, rather than as in Corner.

Yes, it's been a chastening season for McLaren, with underperformance on the track and problems off it, and racing director Eric Boullier leaving this week.

Chief executive Zak Brown was very downbeat, and very honest, when discussing the issues that McLaren face. Asked how long it would take the team to become title contenders again, Brown said: "I think we are years away. I don't know if that's two or 10, or somewhere in between."

Image source, PA

Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra pit-lane reporter

McLaren are just putting a wing on to the front of Fernando Alonso's car. Becaue McLaren haven't done well, their garage is buried away, and the rise in the pit lane means the fans can't get a view of them. It's a shame for the fans, but the team just need to do better.

They know they need to do better and do it quickly. There will be more changes at McLaren, I'm sure they will be done quickly. The fans to see them doing better and the sport needs them to do better.

Image source, Reuters

Brendon Hartley, who could do with a good weekend after retiring in two of the past three races, is the first driver to set a time - 1:35.079. That's around eight and a half seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton's pole lap last year.

Max Verstappen, the winner in Austria, knocks that out of the park with a 1:30.863. We're 15 minutes in.

Image source, Reuters

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

We've not seen much of the hard compound. this is the only time we've seen it so far. So far the tyre degredation has been pretty low. Even in Austria and Monaco, where the degredation was higher, they were one-stop races.

A switch round with the tyres this weekend. For the first time this season, the blue hard tyre makes an appearance, with medium and soft the other options.

Some early feedback from the Renault pit wall: "Dirty, grippy and bumpy, and a little gusty is the install lap feedback from Carlos Sainz."

Oliver Bennett: My perfect weekend is this weekend. Friday practice at Silverstone, Sweden v England on Saturday and dinner with friends, Sunday back to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

Right, we're all off to Oliver's this weekend. :)

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Mercedes had hoped to avoid grid penalties following their double retirement in Austria, and they have been successful. For now.

The team have decided to change Valtteri Bottas’ engine because it went through a heat soak when he stopped with a hydraulic pressure failure and they want to check it is OK. That means Bottas is now on his third of three permitted engines for the season.

The Austria one, also used in France, will go back in the pool if it is OK and can therefore be used again. But the second corollary is that Bottas will now not be able to benefit from any upgrade due later in the season without taking grid penalties.

Image source, PA