By Matt Morlitz at Silverstone
Last Updated: 01/07/22 6:03 PM
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Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok is on SkyPad to break down the fastest laps of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the second practice session at Silverstone.
Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok is on SkyPad to break down the fastest laps of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the second practice session at Silverstone.
Carlos Sainz was fastest for Ferrari in a fiercely contested Practice Two for the British GP, while Lewis Hamilton’s boosted his home race hopes by finishing second as Mercedes showed promise with its upgraded car.
In front of a Silverstone sell-out crowd, Lando Norris was just behind compatriot Hamilton in third, with the McLaren driver surprisingly faster than title rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
“It’s so exciting,” 2009 world champion Jenson Button told Sky Sports F1. “Four different cars, four teams separated by two tenths of a second!”
Sainz overcame a dry P2 – made all the more crucial and interesting after a rain-interrupted opening session – by 0.153s despite running wide at Copse Corner.
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Martin Brundle and Jenson Button were trackside to watch the drivers tackle tough conditions through Becketts Corner during second practice at the British Grand Prix.
Martin Brundle and Jenson Button were trackside to watch the drivers tackle tough conditions through Becketts Corner during second practice at the British Grand Prix.
Hamilton had dropped to 15th at one stage but found pace in his run on the soft tires to finish second in a Mercedes car that has plenty of updates, including a new floor, as the team aims for its first win of the season.
Norris, who was leading before Sainz and Hamilton’s fastest laps, was still within two tenths of Sainz at the end of the session.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen locks up at Turn 3 due to gusty winds at Silverstone.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen locks up at Turn 3 due to gusty winds at Silverstone.
Verstappen, the title leader with 46 points, and Leclerc, who has the most poles this season, both battled for lap speed and finished 0.2 and 0.4 seconds off the pace respectively.
Fernando Alonso was sixth for Alpine, ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull and George Russell’s Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll, whose spin at the end of P1 brought out red flags, completed the top-10 to complete the opening day from the home of British motorsport.
Mercedes takes a “step forward” at Silverstone
While Red Bull and Ferrari have dominated F1 2022 and shared all nine wins so far this season, all eyes were on Mercedes heading into Silverstone as the Silver Arrows hoped that a combination of major upgrades and a Silverstone track that suits them would push them back to the front on the home track of Hamilton and Russell.
It is too early to say they are in the hunt for pole and victory, but things are looking much brighter for a team that has suffered from violent bounces and a lack of pace so far this season.
“It looks like we’ve taken a step forward because we’re usually nowhere near the top on Friday,” said director of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin.
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Lewis Hamilton has a small problem at the end of practice 2 with something falling from the floor of his car at turn 9.
Lewis Hamilton has a small problem at the end of practice 2 with something falling from the floor of his car at turn 9.
“Now, I expect more to come from Ferrari and a bit more from Red Bull, but the long-term work has also been quite encouraging and they overlapped very nicely.
“There’s definitely a lot to work on, there are some bounces and it’s hard at high speed right now, but hopefully the updates have pushed us in the right direction.”
Hamilton agreed that Mercedes “have definitely made improvements”, adding: “We still have work to do. It feels like a small step forward.”
The only knock for Hamilton, whose car looked much more stable than in recent races, on an otherwise encouraging day where he finished second in both sessions was that he lost some ground at the end of P2.
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McLaren faced difficulties in the pitlane trying to replace Lando Norris’ tires during the second practice session at the British GP.
McLaren faced difficulties in the pitlane trying to replace Lando Norris’ tires during the second practice session at the British GP.
Norris’ rise up the timesheets, after finishing 15th last time out in Canada, was even more amazing.
“As good as it looked, it’s still hard to put things together and be consistent, but I’m happy,” he said afterwards.
“The car seems to be in a decent position, at least, a bit better than we expected.”
Mercedes are still expecting a counter-attack at the weekend, particularly from Red Bull – winners of the last six races.
Rain, meanwhile, is forecast for Saturday, when final practice is at 12 noon and qualifying at 3pm. Watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1.
Schedule sheet for the practice of two British GPs
Team Time 1) Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:28.942 2) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.163 3) Lando Norris McLaren +0.176 4) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.207 5) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.462 6) Alonso 7) Alonso 5)3) Pinnae Perez Red Bull +0.811 8) George Russell Mercedes +0.857 9) Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +0.960 10) Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1,000 11) Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +1,058 12) Sebastian Vettel Aston E119 +1. 14) Alexander Albon Williams +1,321 15) Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +1,329 16) Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +1,396 17) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1,538 …
