Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc secured the top position in the final practice session for the British Grand Prix, clocking a lap of 1:25.498. He finished just ahead of Oscar Piastri, who was 0.068 seconds slower, followed closely by Max Verstappen, who trailed by an additional 0.019 seconds.
The practice session was interrupted early due to a red flag incident involving Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, whose car suffered suspension damage after spinning off the track. Earlier in the session, debris from Haas rookie Oliver Bearman’s car also caused the red flag to be waved, interrupting the flow of practice. Bearman’s own session ended with a crash into the barriers at the pitlane entrance, which he attributed to “cold brakes.”
Hamilton, driving for Ferrari in his home race, was unable to capitalize on the session as he finished in 11th place. Despite showing promise in the first two sectors of the lap, he had to abort his final sector due to the flags resulting from Bearman’s crash.
McLaren’s Lando Norris recorded the fourth fastest time, with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in fifth, while Alex Albon for Williams managed seventh. The session also saw Mercedes’ George Russell and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar completing the top 10.
Aston Martin’s drivers could not put in representative laps on the faster soft tires due to the interruptions, impacting their preparations ahead of qualifying.
The qualifying session for Sunday’s race will be particularly significant, as it marks Hamilton’s first at home in Ferrari colors and he looks to add to his record of nine British Grand Prix victories, having won the event last year with Mercedes.
This British Grand Prix weekend has showcased intense competition as drivers gear up for what promises to be an exciting race. The anticipation builds as qualifying approaches, with fans eager to see how the teams adjust to the challenges posed during practice.