Max tenth in Silverstone FP1

Published on 04 July 2025 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished tenth in the first practice session of the British Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was quickest around Silverstone, followed by the McLaren’s of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing team Yuki Tsunoda sat out FP1, with Red Bull Junior Arvid Lindblad taking on driving the RB21 in FP1. The rookie finished the session in fourteenth.

As the session gets underway under the pleasant British sunshine, Max is one of the last drivers to hit the track. He does so on a set of medium tyres. His first timed lap is good enough for fourth, behind the Mercedes of Russell and the McLarens of Piastri and Norris.

On his next run, he sets the quickest first sector but loses touch in the following two sectors. He has to settle for third. Meanwhile, both Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly have a hair-raising spins at different parts the circuit. The Aston Martin spins at turn three, with Pierre Gasly going of at Copse. Thankfully both drivers are able to keep their cars undamaged, in no small part because of the wide run-off areas dotted around Silverstone.,

Twenty minutes into the session, Racing Bull Liam Lawson tops the timing sheets, but is quickly usurped by Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Nevertheless, the RB seems to have pace as Isack Hadjar takes over P1 from Leclerc.

At the halfway point, Max steers the RB21 back out on track sporting the soft Pirelli tyres. He improves his lap time but is still a tenth shy from Hadjar’s benchmark. After a quick visit to the pits to make some adjustments to the front wing, the Dutchman sets another flying lap and improves on his earlier effort.

Copse continues to be a challenge for the drivers, with Gabriel Bortoletto the next driver to spin at the highspeed corner. The young Brazilian keeps his Sauber out of the barriers and is able to drive back to the pits in one piece, only causing a brief yellow flag.

In the closing quarter of an hour, the focus shifts to long runs, with most drivers, including Max, opting for laps on the medium compound. By this point, the Red Bull driver has dropped down the tenth on the leaderboards, where he will remain until the end of the session.

Contest British GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!