Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri admitted Ferrari’s pace caught their eye in Friday practice at Silverstone, marking the Scuderia as a real threat to McLaren’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix ambitions.
Despite topping FP2, Norris warned that Ferrari would likely hit back in qualifying, while Piastri noted its strong pace over both short and long runs.
Lewis Hamilton set the early pace in FP1 at Silverstone, the Woking-based pair slotting in just behind.
In FP2, Norris quickly reasserted the team’s dominance by topping the session — but Ferrari wasn’t far behind.
Charles Leclerc closed to within 0.222s of the fastest time, with Hamilton maintaining his place in the top three.
McLaren had been in a league of its own last time out in Austria, comfortably leading the way as its two drivers went head-to-head.
Ferrari, by contrast, had settled for a distant third and fourth, a solid result in what has been an otherwise inconsistent season.
But few would have expected the early pace shown by the Scuderia at Silverstone — something that even caught the Austrian Grand Prix winner by surprise.
“I mean, the Soft [tyre] was a very strong lap,” Norris told Sky Sports F1 when reflecting on his session.
“But yeah, me being me, but I think also just in general, the Ferraris have been very, very quick today, and they shall be tomorrow, so I think we have a bit of work to do, to be honest.
“It looked maybe a bit too good today. Like always, Ferrari always catch up [heading] into FP3, like they did last weekend.
“I was a bit pleased with today, but nothing to be too proud about just yet.”
Piastri eyes strong weekend as Norris targets home pole in front of dedicated grandstand
The Australian driver was equally caught off guard by Ferrari’s strong form.
“It was a bit of a surprise – I think they looked good, both in the qualifying runs and the longer runs as well,” Piastri added.
“I think they’re in the fight this weekend, which is interesting to see.”
He admitted his Soft tyre run wasn’t the cleanest but remained encouraged by McLaren’s overall pace across the day.
“FP2, the Soft tyre was a little bit messy for me, but I think the potential is definitely there,” he said.
“The long runs look pretty solid as well, so yeah, an interesting first day, and I think a lot of competition.”
Meanwhile, Norris was aiming to give his passionate home crowd — particularly the now-famous Lando grandstand — a reason to cheer in qualifying.
“That’s my target, I’m working on it,” he smiled. “I mean, it’s incredible, I would look at every lap, every single lap, I mean, it’s hard to miss.
“So every lap I’m forced to look at it, but it’s also just a great thing to see, and if it’s distracting me, it’s distracting others, so it’s working perfectly, so keep it up.”
The 25-year-old is chasing a first win at his home Grand Prix, finishing third last season in the ever-changing British weather conditions.
However, Piastri is hoping to spoil the party and return to the top step of the podium to extend his championship lead, which currently stands at 15 points.
READ MORE – Lando Norris quickest for McLaren in F1 British GP FP2
