The first free practice at the Silverstone circuit has been completed. On the iconic track in Great Britain, the fastest time was driven by none other than Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez recorded the second fastest time and the top three were completed by Alexander Albon.

It soon became very busy on the UK runway. Many teams are introducing new parts this weekend, so it’s important to gather as much data as possible. The famous aero garu is back and several quick times were recorded by the riders in the opening phase of the session.

Max Verstappen also appeared early, but he was not completely satisfied. He reported on the on-board radio and complained bitterly about the lack of grip. The Dutchman, who is half a second quicker than teammate Sergio Perez, described it as ‘driving on ice’. His compatriot Nyck de Vries also appears to have been affected by this, as he spun at low speed in the second sector.

DeVries

De Vries also had a strong first free exercise. The AlphaTauri driver was under a lot of pressure, but posted a nice eleventh fastest time of the session. He was much faster than his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese did not go over sixteen. De Vries was also faster than Lewis Hamiton and George Russell’s Mercedes. The two Britons were unable to break the fast for the home crowd, but neither did they use softs.

Mercedes

That’s not to say that Mercedes had a perfect session. Both drivers complained over the on-board radios about problems with the car. Hamilton told his team he suffered badly on the bounce and Russell struggled and also went wide in stoppage time. In front of the field, Williams driver Alexander Albon made a big surprise. The British athlete from Thailand took a good seat for a while and made a shocking record for the third time.