Max Verstappen records the fastest time in the first practice, while Lewis Hamilton slumps into 12th

Max Verstappen’s stranglehold over the rest of the paddock showed no signs of loosening as he ran quickest in first practice ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

Verstappen was unhappy at the start of the season, describing driving the Silverstone circuit as like driving ‘on ice’ – but it did little to hurt his lap-time, topping the charts with a 1.28.600.

The Dutchman is on a five-race win streak and Red Bull are looking to make it 10 wins from 10 this weekend in what has been a flawless campaign to this point.

Hope in the grandstands is that Lewis Hamilton can go through the gears – figuratively and literally – to put a challenge to Red Bull, but his 12th-placed run in first practice did little to inspire, a grand 1.168seconds off the pace.

His Mercedes team-mate George Russell was even further down, slumped in 14th, while McLaren’s British hope, Lando Norris, ran eighth.

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Max Verstappen’s stranglehold over the rest of the paddock showed no signs of loosening

The Dutchman ran quickest in first practice ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez

The issue Hamilton complained off was severe bouncing in his car while Russell bemoaned a lack of grip, hurting their lap times.

There was a surprise third runner behind the Red Bulls in Williams’ Alex Albon, who was 0.253 seconds off the pace, while Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso slotted in fourth.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fifth, just 0.012 seconds off Alonso.

Red Bull’s obvious speed advantage was accentuated by Silverstone’s high-speed swerves and it suits the aerodynamics of the car, to the chagrin of Hamilton and Co.

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