Max Verstappen May Not Even Be Human, Tops Practice Session at British Grand Prix

Before looking at how day one unfolded at Silverstone, with the first two practice sessions, let's go back in time and learn a bit of British Grand Prix history. It's one of the oldest races on the calendar, alongside names like Spa, Monza, and Monaco. In 1950, Giuseppe Farina drove an Alfa Romeo to victory at Silverstone after securing Pole Position and the Fastest lap.

He also won that year's World Championship, defeating the great Fangio by three points. For the next three decades, the British GP occurred either at Silverstone, Brands Hatch, or Aintree. But the first one has become the only official venue in the United Kingdom for the event since 1987. Nigel Mansell won that year, his second British GP victory. But that was not the end of it. He is one of the most prolific drivers in F1 history regarding this event, with four victories. There are only three drivers that have done better than that so far.

Jim Clark and Alain Prost are tied with five wins each, while Lewis Hamilton is Silverstone's undisputed "king" with eight victories between 2008 and 2021. Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz were the only drivers that could stop his winning streak so far. So, can Hamilton still score another victory on home turf? He has yet to be on the podium's top spot since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but last year he did finish P3 in the United Kingdom, only six seconds behind Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard is the only other driver racing this weekend, alongside Fernando Alonso, to have won the British Grand Prix.

And you know what that means, right? The reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, has never been successful in the United Kingdom. He was P7 in 2021, retired in 2020, and finished P2 in 2020 and 2016. It's one of the few events he has never won on the calendar, but all that may change within the next 48 hours. After all, he was in a similar situation with the Australian Grand Prix, but we all know how that turned out for him earlier this year.

While Lewis may be one of the best drivers to race at Silverstone, an Italian squad holds the record for most Constructor and Manufacturer victories. There are 18 wins for Ferrari in the British Grand Prix, and teams like Mclaren, Williams, Mercedes, or Renault still need several incredible years to get to that level. Silverstone is the fifth longest track on the calendar, measuring 3.66 miles (5.891 km).

It features a high-speed layout, and official estimates show that drivers are engaged in full throttle for about 78% of the time throughout a lap. According to an official Mercedes-Benz report, drivers can experience a maximum of 5G at Turn 11, one of the highest tracks on the calendar. Verstappen holds the lap record since 2020, with a time of 1:27.097. For tomorrow's main event, drivers must complete 52 laps, up to 190.26 miles (306.198 km), before crossing the finish line. But let's look at how FP1 and FP2 went before making further predictions.

Free Practice 1

The weekend's first practice session happened Friday, as drivers took to the track for valuable seat time before the main event. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen was one of the most diligent drivers of the session, driving for 26 laps before the time was out. It's no surprise to anyone that the young Dutchman was on top of the list by that moment, as he set a fast lap of 1:28.600.

He was also the only competitor to dip below the 1:29 mark, and it just goes to show that he is one of the most skilled F1 drivers of all time. His teammate, Sergio Perez, was 0.448 seconds slower to the finish line, taking P2 at the end of the session. Leclerc gave Ferrari their 800th F1 podium last weekend in Austria, but he was only fifth fastest in FP1, some 0.680 seconds behind Verstappen. Meanwhile, Williams is celebrating their 800th Grand Prix this weekend with a new livery to mark the event.

This moment has provided their drivers with newfound confidence and pace, as Alexander Albon took P3 in FP1. He was only 0.041 seconds slower than Sergio Perez but still a nudge faster than Fernando Alonso, who had to settle for P4. Logan Sargeant was only the 17th fastest in the first session but wasn't done racing yet.

Four more drivers managed to get within a second of the leader, including Esteban Ocon in P6, Carlos Sainz in P7, Lando Norris in P8, and Lance Stroll in P9. Two of the season rookies were next, with Oscar Piastri claiming P10 and Nyck de Vries in P11. Hamilton and Russell were out on Mediums in FP1, and their pace was not what their fans hoped or expected: P12 and P14 for the Mercedes-Benz drivers.

Free Practice 2

Verstappen continued doing what he does best in FP2: the result was a lap that was over half a second faster than his FP1 rhythm. Carlos Sainz had a perfect weekend at the British Grand Prix in 2022, claiming Pole Position and winning the race after fending off Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton. So it is only fitting of him to have been second fastest in FP2: 0.022 seconds behind the leader!

Alex Albon was as constant in his performance as Russel was in 2022, so P3 again for the Thai-British driver. Perez was down in fourth, and Williams fans were ecstatic to see Logan Sargeant climbing up the ladder into P5 after 29 laps. As we saw in FP1, the top nine drivers were within a second of Verstappen's pace, with Hulkenberg, Gasly, and Piastri all putting on a good show for the spectators.

Both Mercedes drivers had switched to Soft tires for this session, but this didn't improve their performance. Once again, they found themselves in the lower half of the list, and we can't help but wonder if this isn't part of some pre-race strategy. Meanwhile, things could have been better over at Ferrari too. While Carlos Sainz brought hope to the Tifosi, Leclerc had to watch the session from the side, as he had run into some electrical problems with his SF-23.

Predictions

Drivers will be entering FP3 first, and then it's time to qualify! The outcome will set the starting grid for tomorrow's Grand Prix, and it's safe to assume that every driver will push hard for a good result at the end of the day. At this point, it doesn't feel like Lewis Hamilton can still make a comeback and win another race at Silverstone. Victory for Williams would be almost historical, but the chances for that are slim.

Ferrari fans hope that Sainz can end the drought tomorrow, seeing that the team has yet to score a victory since Austria in 2022. But Verstappen has won seven out of nine races this year, with Perez getting the same result for the other two. The Dutchman won 15 out of 22 events in 2022 and is probably bent on improving that statistic in 2023.

If it rains for the main event, that should help mix things up and give other drivers a fighting chance. But the reigning World Champion still feels like the safest bet for now. As dull as it may sound for some fans of the sport, it will take a miracle for anyone else to emerge triumphant at Silverstone.