Lando Norris dominates rehearsal session in Great Britain

Reuters and AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Saturday, July 5, 2025, p. a11

Silverstone. British driver Lando Norris (McLaren) made the most of his home advantage and set the fastest time yesterday in the second free practice session for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, held at the legendary Silverstone track.

Norris was the fastest with a time of one minute and 25.816 seconds, followed by the Ferraris of Monegasque Charles Leclerc (0.222 seconds behind) and fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton (0.301 seconds behind), who was the fastest in the first practice.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri (McLaren) finished fourth, while reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) of the Netherlands and Italian Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who will lose three places on the grid for the race, finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Canadian Lance Stroll finished seventh for Aston Martin, and Briton George Russell finished eighth in his Mercedes. Racing Bulls' Frenchman Isack Hadjar finished ninth, and his New Zealand teammate Liam Lawson finished tenth.

Last year's race winner, Hamilton, fueled hopes of another home victory after setting a fastest lap of 1:26.892 in early practice, while 17-year-old Briton-Swede Arvid Lindblad looked strong in his debut session for Red Bull.

Hamilton is on a 13-race run without a podium finish, the worst of his career, but holds a record of nine home wins and will be looking to end the long drought.

It's the first time the seven-time world champion has raced on home soil in the red Ferrari car. The Italian team has yet to win this season, the only one of the top four to do so.

Piastri leads Norris by 15 points now that the championship has reached Silverstone, the midpoint of the season. McLaren has a solid 207-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors' standings.

The third practice session will take place today, as well as the qualifying session that will determine tomorrow's starting order.