Valtteri Bottas Reigns in Rain-Affected British Grand Prix First Practice

The highly anticipated 2022 British Grand Prix weekend commenced under unexpected circumstances, as a sudden downpour transformed Silverstone into a challenging wet-weather arena for the opening free practice session. Amidst the spray and cautious approaches, it was former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas who skillfully navigated the treacherous conditions to emerge as the fastest driver, setting the benchmark in his Alfa Romeo C42. The session, marked by prolonged periods of inactivity and a late red flag, offered a unique start to what promises to be an exhilarating race weekend at the historic circuit.

Despite forecasts suggesting a low probability of rain for Friday, the skies opened up just as the green light signaled the start of FP1, drenching the iconic Silverstone track. This unforeseen meteorological twist immediately complicated matters for teams and drivers, many of whom had brought significant upgrades to this pivotal event. The initial rush to the pit lane was palpable, with most teams opting for intermediate tyres, only to quickly retreat as the intensity of the rain made any meaningful running virtually impossible.

Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free

Both Mercedes and Ferrari initially sent their cars out on intermediate tyres, but the strategy was short-lived. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell swiftly returned to the garage, as did the Ferrari duo, save for a brief exploratory stint by Charles Leclerc. Leclerc, demonstrating a willingness to gauge the evolving conditions, completed a few sighting laps on the intermediates, navigating a circuit that was a perplexing mix of half-wet and half-dry sections. He was soon joined by Sergio Perez in the Red Bull and the Alpine pair of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, all attempting to gain valuable data, albeit cautiously. However, Red Bull quickly aborted their run, underscoring the general reluctance of the top teams to risk their machinery in such volatile conditions.

Prolonged Stagnation and a Drying Track

Alexander Albon, piloting the heavily revised Williams FW44, also ventured out for a single lap before returning to the pits, offering a glimpse of the significant upgrades his team had introduced. Sebastian Vettel, in his Aston Martin, completed an extended run, yet like many others, opted not to push for a flying lap. The priority for most drivers seemed to be circuit familiarity and a basic assessment of grip levels rather than outright pace.

As the rain gradually subsided, the track conditions began a slow, painstaking transformation. However, with only a handful of cars daring to circulate, the natural process of the track drying was agonizingly slow. This led to a peculiar and frustrating stalemate, as the circuit fell silent for over 20 minutes. All 20 drivers remained confined to their garages, waiting for Mother Nature to clear the racing line. The reluctance of teams to actively send out cars to help “rubber in” and dry the track, perhaps due to the limited tyre allocation or the fear of unnecessary risks, only amplified the delay, testing the patience of both the teams and the expectant Silverstone crowd.

With time rapidly ticking away and the session nearing its conclusion, the silence was finally broken. With just ten minutes remaining on the clock, Lewis Hamilton re-emerged, initially on intermediate tyres. His reconnaissance laps quickly revealed a crucial development: the first and third sectors of the circuit were now almost dry enough to warrant a switch to slick tyres. This observation proved to be a turning point, injecting much-needed life into the closing stages of FP1.

Hamilton’s Slick Gamble and Bottas’s Intermediate Brilliance

Emboldened by his assessment, Hamilton made the decisive call to switch to soft-compound slick tyres – a bold move given the patchy conditions. His immediate pace on the dry tyres was impressive, allowing him to climb to second quickest. His lap time, a 1’42.781, was set on what were still somewhat damp patches, demonstrating both his skill and the potential of the rapidly improving track. However, he ultimately found himself behind his former teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who had managed to extract phenomenal pace from his intermediate tyres. Bottas’s blistering 1’42.249 lap time stood as the fastest of the session, a testament to his expertise in mixed conditions and the Alfa Romeo’s surprising competitiveness.

The sight of Hamilton clocking competitive times on slicks spurred a flurry of activity in the pit lane. A group of drivers, recognizing the diminishing window of opportunity, hastily switched to slick tyres and poured onto the circuit in the final minutes. Anticipation built as many aimed to improve their positions. However, this late surge was dramatically cut short. Lance Stroll, pushing his Aston Martin to the limit, lost control at the notorious Copse corner, spinning into the gravel trap. The incident immediately triggered red flags, effectively ending the session with less than a minute remaining on the clock. This premature conclusion meant that many drivers on slicks were denied the chance to complete their flying laps, freezing the provisional standings and cementing Bottas’s unexpected top spot.

Final Standings and Session Implications

The abbreviated and chaotic session concluded with Valtteri Bottas at the top of the time sheets, a significant morale boost for Alfa Romeo. Lewis Hamilton secured second place, a strong showing given his audacious switch to slick tyres on a still-drying track, making him the fastest driver on dry rubber. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jnr finished third, closely followed by teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth, indicating that the Scuderia also found some pace once conditions marginally improved.

Haas driver Mick Schumacher put in a notable performance to claim fifth, a promising start to his weekend. He was followed by Zhou Guanyu in the second Alfa Romeo, securing sixth place, further underlining the team’s strong showing in the tricky conditions. Kevin Magnussen, Stroll (despite his late spin), Yuki Tsunoda, and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10. These ten drivers were the only ones to log any form of timed lap over the course of the hour-long session, a clear indicator of just how challenging and unproductive the conditions were for the majority of the field. Many prominent drivers, including championship leader Max Verstappen, George Russell, and both McLaren drivers, failed to register a lap time, meaning they enter Saturday’s qualifying with very little data from the opening session.

While the first practice session at Silverstone was far from typical, it provided a fascinating glimpse into driver skill under pressure and the unpredictable nature of British weather. Bottas’s commanding performance on intermediates and Hamilton’s strong showing on slicks set intriguing narratives for the rest of the weekend, as teams will now scramble to analyze the limited data gathered and prepare for potentially drier conditions.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free

2022 British Grand Prix First Practice Result

Position	Number	Driver	Team	Model	Time	Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	C42	1’42.249		9
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	W13	1’42.781	0.532	10
3	55	Carlos Sainz Jnr	Ferrari	F1-75	1’42.967	0.718	8
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	F1-75	1’43.801	1.552	7
5	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas-Ferrari	VF-22	1’43.895	1.646	3
6	24	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	C42	1’46.171	3.922	4
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas-Ferrari	VF-22	1’48.161	5.912	3
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	AMR22	1’51.243	8.994	5
9	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri-Red Bull	AT03	1’51.373	9.124	5
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin-Mercedes	AMR22	1’59.168	16.919	5
11	63	George Russell	Mercedes	W13	No time		2
12	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	RB18	No time		3
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine-Renault	A522	No time		2
14	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine-Renault	A522	No time		1
15	23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	FW44	No time		1
16	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren-Mercedes	MCL36	No time		4
17	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri-Red Bull	AT03	No time		3
18	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	MCL36	No time		4
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams-Mercedes	FW44	No time		1
20	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	RB18	No time		3