The first two free practice sessions of the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone have come to an end, with mixed results for George Russell. The home weekend for the British driver began in a rather underwhelming fashion, influenced in part by a cloud of uncertainty surrounding his future in Formula 1. Over the past few days, reports—most notably from Sky Italia—have circulated suggesting that Russell’s partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team might come to an end after the current season.
On top of the off-track speculation, the track itself hasn’t offered much cause for optimism. Despite Mercedes’ traditionally strong form at Silverstone in past years, the Brackley-based team appears to be the third-best force this weekend, clearly trailing behind Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren in both single-lap pace and race simulation performance.
In particular, Ferrari seemed significantly more competitive than Mercedes over the course of the long runs, showing a clear advantage in race pace that could make the difference on Sunday.
George Russell’s lap times in FP1 and FP2
FP1: 1:27.163 (+0.271 from the session leader)
FP2: 1:26.523 (+0.707 from the fastest time)
During the second free practice session (FP2), George Russell completed a long run using the medium compound tyres. His average race simulation pace was around 1:34.6, a figure that underlined Mercedes’ current limitations compared to both Ferrari and McLaren, particularly in terms of tyre degradation and overall consistency.
In the simulated qualifying runs, the time gap to the front was even more telling: Russell trailed by approximately seven-tenths of a second in FP2. It is a deficit that Mercedes must reduce significantly if they want to ensure a solid starting position for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Expectations heading into qualifying
Looking ahead to Saturday’s qualifying session, the prospects do not seem overly encouraging for George Russell and Mercedes. The time gaps that emerged during both FP1 and FP2 suggest that qualifying could be a challenging session, with the Silver Arrows potentially struggling to match the pace of their closest rivals.
One variable, however, appears to have been eliminated from the equation: the weather. Initially, there was a considerable chance of rain for Saturday, but forecasts have shifted, and the probability of precipitation has now dropped significantly. As a result, both FP3 and qualifying are expected to take place under dry conditions. This could actually work against Mercedes, as higher track temperatures and stable conditions might favor teams like Ferrari and McLaren, whose setups seem better optimized for current circuit characteristics.
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