2026 British Grand Prix F1 Practice results: Hamilton fastest at Silverstone

Competitive running got underway at Silverstone as Formula 1 Practice for the 2026 British Grand Prix kicked off ahead of Sprint Qualifying later on Friday. 

Lewis Hamilton was fastest with an eye-catching time for Ferrari, while team-mate Charles Leclerc and the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were also in the mix. 

In the support categories, there were also plenty of British drivers performing well on home soil, with Freddie Slater leading the way in FIA Formula 3 and Alisha Palmowski running second in F1 Academy.

2026 British Grand Prix F1 Practice results

Below are the full 2026 British Grand Prix F1 Practice results from Silverstone, followed by Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy Practice classifications.

2026 British Grand Prix F1 Practice overview

Nine-time Silverstone winner Lewis Hamilton emerged first from the pitlane for the solitary F1 Practice session of the weekend. Hamilton set the early pace with an initial effort of 1:31.877 on Hard tyres, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli slotted in behind him seven tenths back. 

Oscar Piastri was the first to better the seven-time champion, before Hadjar jumped ahead of the pair of them and assumed the top spot. Hamilton quickly posted another fastest time, before being bested by old rival Max Verstappen. 

With all drivers still on Hard tyres, Hadjar went faster still, with Antonelli and Russell slotting in behind, less than two hundredths behind. The 19-year-old Italian then went even faster, nearly two tenths clear of Hadjar, before the pack settled into the longer runs.

Much later in the session, with 25 minutes left to run, Hamilton vaulted back up to the top of the standings, still on the Hards, two tenths clear of Antonelli. 

Russell and Piastri were the first of the front runners to bolt on a set of the grippier Soft compound tyres in the closing stages of Practice. 

Russell became the first driver into the 1:29s with a 1:29.938, and moments later, Antonelli surpassed is team-mate’s time by nearly half a second. Hamilton was up next, and he went fastest of all, two tenths clear of Antonelli on a 1:29.260.

Hamilton ended the only Formula 1 Practice session quickest ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc, with Sprint Qualifying still to come later on Friday at the British Grand Prix.

2026 British Grand Prix FIA Formula 2 Practice results

FIA Formula 2 Practice overview

In FIA Formula 2, Irish driver Dunne topped the timesheets with a lap time of a 1:42.065. Reigning FIA Formula 3 champion Rafael Camara – who sits third in the standings – finished the session second, less than a tenth behind, and Dino Beganovich was third, five thousandths behind Camara.

Rounding out the top five were Sebastian Montoya and Roman Bilinski, while Championship leader Gabrielle Mini was sixth in the results table.

2026 British Grand Prix FIA Formula 3 Practice results

FIA Formula 3 Practice overview

Then, in Formula 3, home hero Freddie Slater – who is second in the Drivers’ Championship – topped the practice times with a 1:46.161. Mexican driver Ernesto Rivera was second, a tenth and a half behind. 

Matteo De Palo followed the top two in third, then came Hiyu Yamakoshi, who was fourth, and Enzo Deligny, who rounded out the top five, while points leader Ugo Ugochukwu came eighth, half a second off the pace.

2026 British Grand Prix F1 Academy Practice results

F1 Academy Practice overview

In the all-female F1 Academy category, Silverstone wildcard driver Chiara Bättig was fastest in Free Practice with a lap time of 2:02.640. She was two-tenths clear of home favourite and championship leader Alisha Palmowski, who, in turn, was four hundredths clear of Nina Gademan. 

Austrian driver Emma Felbermayr – who occupies second in the points standings – was fourth fastest, while Ella Stevens gave the home crowd a second British driver in the top five to cheer for. 

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Formula 1 British Grand Prix