Verstappen tops both sessions at Silverstone on Friday; Carlos Sainz second for Ferrari, as Alex Albon takes surprise third for Williams.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed a Friday practice double at the British Grand Prix as Mercedes’ latest upgrades appeared to have little impact at Silverstone.
World championship leader Verstappen continued his imperious form to edge out Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in Practice Two by just two-hundredths of a second, with a time of 1:28.078.
“I think it was quite a good day for us,” said Verstappen after practive. “It was a little slippery in the beginning but that’s due to the high pressures that we are running on the tires. Of course, that is the same for everyone, but it makes it a bit more difficult in the low speed. I think in general the car has been performing really well so we can be happy with that. The performance has also been strong in both sessions and we could complete our program. The long runs felt good as well so it’s pretty positive. From our side we want to improve the car ahead of qualifying tomorrow but overall, it’s been a strong day.”
Verstappen added, “There’s always a good atmosphere with a lot of passionate racing fans around the whole track. Austria was an incredible weekend for us and hopefully we can have a strong weekend again in Silverstone, with a solid and clean performance. You never know what the weather will do in the UK so that could mix things up.”
Elsewhere on the track, Williams completed a hugely encouraging day as Alex Albon repeated his third from the opening session, with team-mate Logan Sargeant fifth behind Red Bull’s Perez.
Having struggled in Austria last weekend, Mercedes hoped that a new front wing would help push them back towards the top of the timesheet, but Lewis Hamilton could only manage 15th, with George Russell faring little better in 12th.
Completing a disappointing afternoon for the trio of British drivers racing at Silverstone, Lando Norris was 14th for McLaren.
Also on the back foot going into the weekend is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who missed the entire session after his car suffered an electrical issue.
Lance Stroll was sixth for Aston Martin, while team-mate Fernando Alonso only managed 10th.
Having claimed a fifth successive victory to extend his world championship lead to 81 points in Austria, Verstappen is attempting to win six races in a row for the first time in his F1 career.
Red Bull have won each of the first nine races of the season, and are looking for an 11th successive victory – stretching back to last year – that would draw them level with the record McLaren set in 1988.
Practice 3 and Qualifying continue tomorrow at one of the most iconic racing venues in the world, Silverstone.