McLaren duo dominates FP1 of British Grand Prix 2024, Verstappen and Mercedes duo struggles

The British Grand Prix weekend kicked off with an exciting Free Practice 1 session in Silverstone, where Lando Norris set the pace with an impressive lap time. Norris, driving for McLaren, clocked a 1:27.420s on the soft C3 tyres, edging out Aston Martin's Lance Stroll by 0.134 seconds.

The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag following an early spin from VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda, but Norris maintained his composure to secure the top spot. Another McLaren driver Oscar Piastri secured the third-fastest time of the session, demonstrating the team's strong form.

However, Piastri's session ended prematurely due to a late hydraulic failure that forced him to halt at the pit entry. Despite this setback, McLaren's early performance hints at a promising weekend ahead. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, the current World Championship leader, finished fourth in FP1.

Also WATCH: Yuki Tsunoda pulls out early red flag in British Grand Prix 2024 during FP1

Verstappen, Russell and Hamilton refused to use Soft tyres!

Notably, Verstappen, along with Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, opted not to use the soft tyres for their fastest laps. Instead, the trio set their times on the medium tyres, placing Russell in fifth and Hamilton in seventh. This strategic choice suggests that these teams are focusing on gathering data for race conditions, rather than outright speed in the practice session.

In an impressive showing, newly announced 2025 Haas driver Ollie Bearman took 13th place in his latest FP1 outing. Bearman's performance is being closely watched as he prepares for his future full-time role with the team.

The session also saw other noteworthy performances, with several teams using the hour to test different setups and strategies. The data gathered during FP1 will be crucial as teams fine-tune their cars for qualifying and the race.

Here is the final standing of FP1 of British GP 2024: