F1 British Grand Prix LIVE: George Russell claims pole as Brits star in qualifying at Silverstone
F1 live updates and news from Silverstone as the drivers target pole position for the British GP
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Formula One returns to the home of British motor racing this weekend as Silverstone hosts the British Grand Prix.
George Russell was a shock winner last time out in Austria as the Mercedes driver capitalised on a collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris late on in the race. Norris was fuming with Verstappen afterwards, setting their rivalry up nicely for Norris’ home race this weekend.
Verstappen leads the world championship by 81 points to Norris going into the British GP, a race he won last year. Russell, despite his victory, is still down in seventh.
Lewis Hamilton is an eight-time winner at Silverstone and has finished on the podium in the last two years. Having not won since December 2021, the seven-time F1 world champion would love nothing more than to return to the top of the podium in front of a crowd who adore him.
Follow live updates from the British Grand Prix with The Independent
Lando Norris fastest in FP2!
Norris stays top for the second half of the session and the Brit is the man to beat having finished top in both practice sessions!
And in FP2, he has team-mate Oscar Piastri up alongside him!
Sergio Perez was third-fastest at the end of a session which concluded just as the rain came down at Silverstone... and now it’s pouring!
Still a McLaren one-two at the top!
Norris and Piastri’s table-topping times still stand as most of the grid switch to long-runs on the hard tyre.
Sergio Perez, who needs a good session, up to P3 - four-tenths off Norris - with Nico Hulkenberg in fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth!
6-10: Hamilton, Verstappen, Sainz, Stroll, Russell
10 mins to go...
Lando Norris goes top as Max Verstappen slides wide!
Halfway through the session and here come the McLarens!
Lando Norris top with a 1:26:549, three-tenths quicker than team-mate Oscar Piastri in second! Suddenly, Max Verstappen is down in sixth.
3-10: Hulkenberg, Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Sainz, Stroll, Russell, Perez
Verstappen sets soft tyre benchmark!
Red Bull go early, putting their main man on soft tyres before anyone else - and Verstappen sets a new benchmark of 1:27:233!
Lance Stroll - second in FP1 - is second again early on with Valtteri Bottas third, 0.148 secs off the pace!
4-10: Alonso, Russell, Albon, Zhou, Hamilton, Norris, Sargeant
Over 35 minutes left in the session though...
Max Verstappen quickest early on!
By more than two-tenths, Verstappen is top of the standings with a 1:27:831 - Charles Leclerc is second with Lewis Hamilton in third.
4-10: Sainz, Norris, Russell, Piastri, Tsunoda, Perez, Alonso
That’s all on the medium tyres thus far, though some are switching to softs now..
FP2 at Silvestone!
It’s time for second practice at Silverstone!
Can Lando Norris back up his excellent display earlier with another quick time at the top of the leaderboard? Or will Max Verstappen and Red Bull respond?
Driver Standings ahead of the British Grand Prix:
1. Max Verstappen - 237 points
2. Lando Norris - 156 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 150 points
4. Carlos Sainz - 135 points
5. Sergio Perez - 118 points
6. Oscar Piastri - 112 points
7. George Russell - 111 points
8. Lewis Hamilton - 85 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 41 points
10. Yuki Tsunoda - 19 points
11. Lance Stroll - 17 points
12. Nico Hulkenberg - 14 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo - 11 points
14. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
15. Pierre Gasly - 5 points
16. Kevin Magnussen - 5 points
17. Esteban Ocon - 3 points
18. Alex Albon - 2 points
19. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
20. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points
21. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
British GP 2024 F1 weather forecast: Rain expected at Silverstone after Friday practice
The British Grand Prix starts on Friday and the weather is set to be mixed over the three days of action at Silverstone.
On practice day on Friday, it is set to be overcast after rain early in the morning. Both sessions, at 12:30pm and 4pm, are set to pass without rain, though a heavy downpour is expected at around 6pm, so those camping at the circuit should take cover.
Full forecast below:
British Grand Prix weather F1 forecast as rain expected at Silverstone
Rain is on the forecast for Sunday’s race which will play havoc with tyre strategy for the teams, though it could benefit eight-time winner Lewis Hamilton, who is excellent in wet conditions
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