Hamilton tops British GP practice as Verstappen hits out at Lego car parade

Practice session at Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in the only free practice session of the British Grand Prix weekend, posting a 1:29.260 lap that was 0.213 seconds clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari, 0.599 off his teammate, with George Russell fourth and Oscar Piastri fifth. Four-time champion Max Verstappen finished sixth, 0.980 seconds adrift and visibly struggling for grip, while the practice session was run under sunny skies and track temperatures of 40°C. The weekend is expected to attract a record crowd, with estimates ranging between 500,000 and 565,000 spectators over the three days.

Verstappen slams Lego car parade

Formula One and Lego announced that all 22 drivers would complete a demonstration lap before Sunday's race in miniature cars built from thousands of Lego bricks. Max Verstappen responded sharply, telling Viaplay that the stunt risked making the drivers look like "kids and clowns" and called for the traditional flatbed-truck format instead. The Red Bull driver recalled a previous version of the idea at the Miami Grand Prix last year, where collisions scattered bricks across the track, and argued that top-level racers should not be seen "trying to ram into each other."

I prefer to play with Lego at home, you know, with the kids. Not on a go-kart here, to be honest. I prefer to stand on a truck, just with everyone together. I think that's more fun and I think it also looks more professional.

At the end of the day we are Formula One drivers, I think we should not look like kids and clowns trying to ram into each other. I don't think that is what Formula One needs, but it is what it is.

Formula One's chief commercial officer Emily Prazer defended the plan, saying it would "create an incredible spectacle for fans" and show a different side of the sport.

Championship context and Hamilton's resurgence

Antonelli holds a 40-point lead over Russell in the drivers' standings after eight rounds, with Hamilton just six points further back. Hamilton arrives at his home race fresh from his first win in Ferrari colours, taken at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last month, and carries a record nine Silverstone victories into a weekend where a win would mark Ferrari's 250th in Formula One. The 41-year-old acknowledged that his difficult 2025 debut season with the Scuderia had tested relationships inside the team, but said trust had been rebuilt.

Readjusting some of my team and how they connect, realigning myself with the higher powers within the organisation so that we're making sure that we're on the same track and we're allies rather than foes. That's enabling us now to just move forward in synergy.

Engine angst returns

Verstappen reignited a debate about the 2026 hybrid-era power units after running the Silverstone layout on a simulator. He said the battery depleted so quickly that the circuit felt "completely different" and that drivers would be coasting on the straights. Hamilton agreed, warning that energy management would change the character of the track and that Ferrari's engine remains less powerful than those of Mercedes and Red Bull. The rule changes for 2027 and 2028, which will reduce the electrical systems' influence, had appeared to calm the paddock until the discussion resurfaced ahead of the British round.

Silverstone, I love the track, but I did a few laps on the simulator, and I just started laughing. It felt like a different track. You barely have battery around the lap. It's just constantly flat.

Weekend format

Silverstone hosts the championship's third sprint weekend of the season, meaning teams had only a single hour of practice before sprint qualifying later on Friday. The sprint race and traditional grand prix qualifying follow on Saturday, with the 52-lap British Grand Prix and its pre-race Lego parade scheduled for Sunday.