British GP 2025
JULY 5, 2025
Practice 3 Report - Leclerc edges McLarens in red-flagged practice at Silverstone
© Red Bull
Charles Leclerc topped the final practice session for the British Grand Prix, narrowly beating the McLaren duo as red flags twice interrupted the running and left several contenders unable to complete their final qualifying simulations.
The Ferrari driver posted a 1m25.498s to edge Oscar Piastri by 0.068s and Max Verstappen by just 0.087s, with Lando Norris a further two-hundredths behind in fourth. Just 0.108s covered the top four, pointing to a wide-open qualifying battle later on Saturday.
Cooler conditions at Silverstone and overnight tweaks helped Ferrari emerge strongest after being beaten by McLaren on Friday. Leclerc’s lap came during a frantic final 15 minutes, in which all major contenders attempted low-fuel runs on soft tyres.
Norris had momentarily gone fastest with a 1m25.606s before Piastri beat his team-mate by 0.04s, only for Verstappen to slot in between the two McLarens. The Red Bull showed good speed in the opening sector and on the straights, but appeared less comfortable through the sweeping high-speed corners that define Silverstone.
Leclerc then struck back to go fastest overall, and although Lewis Hamilton looked set to join the battle for the front after an electric first sector, the Mercedes driver was forced to abandon his lap when the first red flag was thrown due to debris on the circuit—traced to a dislodged piece of Oliver Bearman’s Haas floor.
The session resumed with just over four minutes remaining, but another red flag was soon deployed. Gabriel Bortoleto lost control of his Sauber through the Maggotts-Becketts complex and beached the car in the gravel with suspected rear suspension damage, bringing the session to an early end.
Further down the order, Yuki Tsunoda impressed with fifth for Red Bull Racing, while Bearman was sixth before his car’s floor came loose. Alex Albon continued to extract the most from his Williams in seventh, ahead of George Russell, who was unable to capitalise on his soft tyre run before the red flags.
With just a tenth separating the top four and all three leading teams—Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull—featuring in the mix, qualifying is shaping up to be one of the most closely contested of the season.