SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom — A winner of the last five Formula 1 races, Max Verstappen turned the fastest lap during Friday’s two practice sessions for the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit.
Verstappen drove his Red Bull to a best lap of one minute and 28.078 seconds, but edged Ferrari racer Carlos Sainz by a mere .022 seconds on the charts.
Sainz won the pole and the race last year.
“I think it was quite a good day for us. It was a little slippery in the beginning but that’s due to the high pressures that we are running on the tires,” Verstappen said. “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.”
While Sainz was second, Alexander Albon was third for Williams.
Fourth went to Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, with American Logan Sargeant an impressive fifth in the second Williams entry.
Lance Stroll was sixth for Aston Martin, with Nico Hulkenberg seventh in the Haas F1 entry.
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were 12th and 15th, respectively.