Lando Norris completed a strong opening day of practice for his home British Grand Prix by staying at the top of the timesheet in Practice Two, this time heading a McLaren one-two.
The Practice One pacesetter maintained his leading position in the second session and opened his advantage over a lap of Silverstone to an impressive 0.3s, with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri joining him at the head of the timesheet in second place.
Championship leader Max Verstappen, however, was only seventh quickest with the Dutchman unusually only the second-fastest Red Bull driver in the session.
Sergio Perez was third-fastest in the sister RB20, with Nico Hulkenberg a surprise fourth for Haas and Charles Leclerc fifth quickest for Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton was the lead Mercedes in sixth, with Austrian victor George Russell only 10th.
But after a session in which some teams ran slightly different run plans to normal amid the looming threat of rain, which eventually arrived with five minutes in the session to go, Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok suspected: “I think they are not showing their hand at Red Bull – and I expect Mercedes are the same.
“McLaren look good and Lando hit the ground running. Every run, the car looks nice and comfortable to drive
“Are they six tenths faster than Mercedes and Verstappen? If they are, that would be amazing for the home fans.”
F1 teams did still complete the majority of their planned P2 schedules – including the soft-tyre simulations and heavier-fuel race runs – before the late-session rain arrived. Showers are again forecast for Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race days.
Norris lays down early marker in front of home fans
With the late-race collision between Norris and Verstappen from last Sunday’s Austrian GP having been the dominant topic of conversation so far at Silverstone – an ongoing debate which McLaren’s Zak Brown waded into on Friday by aiming criticism at Red Bull – it was back to on-track business for the sport’s leading duo in the Drivers’ Championship at the event which marks the halfway point of the increasingly-competitive 2024 season.
And it was Norris who took day one honours in front of his home crowd at Silverstone.
Although the McLarens, unlike Red Bull and Mercedes, had run the soft tyres in opening practice when Norris topped the first session, the team stayed at the head of the field once everyone had run the weekend’s quickest compound in the second session too.
Norris’ best lap, which he set later than most of his rivals, was an impressive 0.331s quicker than Piastri and 0.434s ahead of third-placed Perez.
Verstappen finished up almost 0.7s back although, perhaps significantly, the Dutchman completed his soft-tyre lap 15 minutes earlier than Norris when the track was clearly not quite as grippy or fast.
The fact Hulkenberg subsequently ended up fourth would suggest there was plenty more time to find for F1’s world champion had he run on track when conditions were at their best. Verstappen did have a slide through the high-speed Becketts section on a push lap later on in his soft-tyre run.
Interestingly, Norris referenced Mercedes as appearing to have a car to compete with McLaren.
“I think we made some good progress,” said Norris, who goes into the weekend 81 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings.
“I think we’re pretty tight and even with Mercedes, they seem probably just as quick as us. They just didn’t turn up the engine and do as much in the final run. So I think we’re in a good place but we probably have a little bit more to find.”
Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)
Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook
F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
