Lewis Hamilton expressed optimism about Ferrari`s prospects following a successful Friday practice session at the British Grand Prix, stating that the team “can definitely dream” of a strong performance.
Ferrari`s showing at a warm and windy Silverstone marked their most competitive Friday of what has been a challenging season.
Hamilton, a nine-time winner at this circuit, topped the first practice session. While Lando Norris led the second session by two tenths, both Ferrari cars were close behind, securing spots within the top three, suggesting they are competitive with McLaren.
Hamilton commented, “I definitely feel we can dream of having a strong weekend. However, execution, putting everything together, and extracting the maximum performance is a different challenge.”
The driver, aiming for an unprecedented 13th consecutive podium finish at Silverstone, added, “I will prepare myself to the best of my ability to ensure we achieve the optimal outcome. With potential rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday, I will exert every effort to ensure we are prepared.”
Ferrari`s SF-25 car saw improvements following the introduction of a new floor at the recent Austrian Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc secured a podium finish and Hamilton came fourth, albeit significantly behind McLaren.
Friday`s performance at Silverstone indicates that Ferrari is now performing at a level comparable to McLaren. Both Leclerc and Hamilton recorded their fastest laps on their second attempts, finishing just a few tenths behind Norris.
Hamilton described the day as “really good,” highlighting the “amazing” experience of driving a Ferrari at Silverstone in front of the crowd.
He noted the progress made with the car: “I`m much more in the window where it needs to be.” He acknowledged that McLaren and Red Bull`s recent upgrades made it “really positive” for Ferrari to still be competitive.
Despite struggling slightly more in the second practice session, he expressed confidence in knowing the necessary adjustments for the upcoming sessions.
Charles Leclerc, generally the leading Ferrari driver this season, reported over the radio that his race setup felt “pretty good.” However, he later stated that further improvements are needed for qualifying performance.
Leclerc summarized the day: “The day was good. We have been pretty strong. We still need to find some pace in qualifying. McLaren is the car to beat but with race pace I was happy.”
He added that he is “finding my way” after making significant changes to the car recently to improve qualifying pace, noting, “I`ve not found a way for that but we are very strong in the race.”
McLaren: Ferrari are in the fight
McLaren, currently leading the championship with eight wins out of eleven races and having secured a dominant one-two finish in Austria, recognized Ferrari`s strong performance on Friday as a significant challenge.
Lando Norris commented that “the Ferraris have been very, very quick today and they shall be tomorrow.” His teammate, Oscar Piastri, added, “It was a bit of a surprise. They looked good, both in the qualifying and long runs.” Piastri concluded, “They are in the fight this weekend, which is interesting to see.”
And George Russell, whose Mercedes team again struggled in the heat on Friday and finished outside the top five, added: “Ferrari have turned it up the last couple of races. They have been strong on race pace all season but had bad qualifyings.”
Despite Ferrari`s improved pace, McLaren remains the probable favourite for Saturday`s pole position, especially with Norris continuing his strong performance from Austria at his home race.
The Briton finished two tenths ahead of the Ferraris but, typically, downplayed McLaren`s perceived advantage from Friday.
He stated, “I think we have a bit of work to do, to be honest.” He cautioned against overconfidence, noting, “It looks maybe a bit too good today, like always. Ferrari always catch up into P3 like they did last weekend so I`d say pleased with today but nothing to be too proud about just yet.”
Norris expressed his aim to secure his first pole position at Silverstone, particularly in front of his dedicated “Landostand” at Stowe corner, which is sold out with 10,000 fans.
When asked about achieving pole, Norris affirmed, “That`s my target. I`m working on it.”
He described the grandstand as “incredible,” adding, “I look at it every single lap. It`s hard to miss so every lap I`m forced to look at it but it`s also a great thing to see. And if it`s distracting me it`s distracting others, so it`s working perfectly! Keep it up.”
Piastri was nearly half a second slower than Norris in practice, admitting his fastest lap on soft tyres was “a bit messy.” Despite the deficit, he expressed satisfaction with their overall position.
Piastri commented, “The potential is definitely there and the long runs looked solid as well.” He summarized the day as “An interesting day and I think a lot of competition.”
Verstappen: Red Bull lacking performance
Max Verstappen encountered understeer issues throughout Friday`s sessions, finishing half a second off the fastest time in FP2.
While Red Bull often finds significant improvements overnight, team principal Christian Horner believes they can refine the car`s balance, including their new floor.
Horner noted that the car loses considerable time in specific corners (Turns 6 and 7) due to wind sensitivity at slow speeds, but “the rest of the lap is looking pretty decent.” He added, “The long run is looking pretty decent so I think we`ve got something to work with, we`ve just got to tune it the right way.”
Verstappen, however, was less upbeat, describing the car as having “no balance,” which made cornering “very difficult.”
He observed, “Every week is different scenarios. Now with the wind around here it seems our car is quite sensitive to it. But, in general, it`s not been an easy day.” He concluded that while some adjustments might help, “overall we are just lacking a bit of performance.”
High track temperatures, close to 40°C, appeared to negatively impact Mercedes, with both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell more than half a second slower than the leaders in both practice sessions.
Russell expressed hope for rain on Saturday, with a 40% chance forecast for qualifying.
He voiced frustration, stating, “We are hoping it cools down for the rest of the weekend. It`s frustrating that every single week we are at the mercy of the weather.” He emphasized the need to improve the car`s heat sensitivity, especially during the summer.
Russell concluded, “Our fortunes will turn for the rest of the weekend and it will come towards us, but we can`t be at the mercy of the weather and we are right now. If it`s wet in qualifying, I will be excited for that!”
