British GP: Verstappen leads Perez and Albon in first practice
7th July 2023Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the timing table once again in the opening session of a Formula 1 race weekend leading both, teammate, Sergio Perez and Williams’ Alexander Albon.
How first practice unfolded…
In the first day back in Silverstone, the sun was shining with blue skies overhead, perfect conditions to watch Verstappen masterfully dance his dominant RB19 around the old airfield.
At the first time of asking, Verstappen stamped the benchmark on the table with the hard compound tyres. Although the defending world champion complained, about the lack of grip out on track, it didn’t stop him from setting the fastest time on the board with a 1:28.6 on the soft tyres.
His teammate, Perez, followed suit but nearly one second behind to give the Milton Keynes-based team a one-two finish in practice.
Showcasing new upgrades, former Red Bull driver, Albon went third fastest in his Williams FW45, four-tenths adrift Verstappen’s best time. Albon’s impressive time will surely give the famous and iconic team a good platform to build on as they continue to celebrate their 800th grand prix.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso (fourth) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (fifth) completed the top five with their own soft tyre runs.
Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Lando Norris (McLaren), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) rounded out the top 10, from sixth to 10th respectively.
Nyck de Vries led the bottom half of the field, in 11th, despite an early excursion in the gravel trap where he was lucky to get his Alpha Tauri out of the trap’s grasp. The Dutchman was followed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), George Russell (Mercedes) and Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) who sat in 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th respectively.
Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri), Logan Sargeant (Williams), Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) and the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg filled the last remaining positions with the latter nearly two seconds off the pace.
That’s all for the live blog; British GP: Verstappen leads Perez and Albon in first practice!
Read more Formula 1 here:
- LIVE: BRITISH GRAND PRIX – FP1
- F1 Apple Film ‘APXGP’ car finally revealed ahead of British Grand Prix
- F1 reveal 2024 calendar with big steps in regionalisation
- Aston Martin Austrian GP upheld and 1,200+ track limit violations to review
- Verstappen dominates Austrian GP after he fought Ferrari to seal victory
- Verstappen dominates Austrian 2023 Sprint after fight with Perez
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or on our website!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
