British GT Championship Heats Up at Silverstone
(Northampton, England – July 5, 2024) The British GT Championship returned to the iconic Silverstone Circuit for a pivotal round, with drivers and teams battling it out for precious championship points.
In the opening practice sessions, it was Lando Norris of the McLaren Racing team who set the early pace, topping the timesheets in both FP1 and FP2. Norris looked right at home on the high-speed Silverstone layout, posting a best time of 1:26.549 in the second session.
“It’s been a solid day. We’ve done a good amount of running and some nice laps, so I feel reasonably comfortable,” said Norris. “We’ve made some changes over the morning which helped me get into a good rhythm, which is super important around such a high-speed track like this.”
Teammate Oscar Piastri also had an impressive outing, ending FP2 in second place, just 0.331s off Norris’ benchmark. The young Australian was pleased with the team’s progress, stating:
“That’s Friday done. It’s been a decent day for the team, especially in FP2. We’ve got a few things to sort out overnight to make it a bit better on my side, but I think it’s been a solid first day at Silverstone.”
Over at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell worked through their own program, with Hamilton ending the day sixth fastest. The seven-time world champion admitted there is still work to be done, saying:
“The car felt generally good today. We’re still a little bit behind the ultimate pace at the front but today was encouraging.”
Further down the order, the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll showed improved pace compared to recent events, with Stroll impressing in FP1 by finishing second.
“We looked a bit more competitive today, but we know tomorrow and Sunday is when it counts,” said Stroll. “After Spain and Austria, we changed a few things on the car, so today was spent gathering a lot of data and getting the laps in.”
With changeable weather conditions expected over the remainder of the weekend, teams will be burning the midnight oil to find the optimal setup ahead of Saturday’s all-important qualifying session. The stage is set for an exciting battle for pole position and, ultimately, victory in Sunday’s race at the historic Silverstone circuit.
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