Lewis Hamilton’s fastest Silverstone lap time in Ferrari compared to 2024 Mercedes speaks volumes.
Lewis Hamilton is back in the Ferrari SF-25 ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton’s best lap time from his first session at Silverstone as a Ferrari driver has been compared to his 2024 Mercedes time.
Following last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, the 2025 Formula 1 season continued on Friday afternoon as the British Grand Prix kicked off with the first practice session taking place at the world-famous Silverstone circuit.
Heading into the weekend, all eyes were fixated on Hamilton, as he arrived at the home of British motorsports for the first time as a Ferrari driver.
Last season, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion recorded his last ever victory for Mercedes as he took the chequered flag ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Although he has had a tough start to life at Ferrari, many fans still harbour hope that he could produce his best at his home race.
Last season, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion recorded his last ever victory for Mercedes as he took the chequered flag ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Although he has had a tough start to life at Ferrari, many fans still harbour hope that he could produce his best at his home race.
On Friday, Hamilton impressed during FP1 as he recorded the quickest time of 1:26.892, 0.023 seconds ahead of McLaren star Norris and 0.150 faster than championship leader Oscar Piastri. He was also 0.203 quicker than Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Despite it being just the first practice session of the entire race weekend, this will come as encouraging news for Hamilton fans as he only managed to clock a time of 1:27.858 while driving at last year’s FP1 for Mercedes.
Last year, while driving for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz managed a fastest FP1 lap of 1:27.925—slower than what Lewis Hamilton just posted. His teammate Charles Leclerc wasn’t any quicker this year either, clocking a 1:27.903.
That’s a promising sign for Hamilton, who’s hoping to carry this FP1 form into FP2 and build toward a shot at pole position on Saturday.
At 40 years old, Hamilton will be aiming to pull off a major upset and win back-to-back races at Silverstone—a feat he hasn’t achieved since 2021.
Speaking after the first practice, Sky Sports pundit and former F1 driver Martin Brundle noted that the gusty conditions may have helped Ferrari shine.
“The car seems to handle well in these windy conditions,” Brundle said. “We saw cars spinning out at 180mph, but Lewis knows how to manage that—and so does the Ferrari. His experience here really gives him confidence. Silverstone’s a brutal, high-speed circuit.”
Naomi Schiff added: “It’s great to see Ferrari performing like this. Charles is right in the mix too—it looks like we’re in for a tight battle all around.”
