British GP: Valtteri Bottas tops Lewis Hamilton in Practice One as rain delays Mercedes intrigue

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Lance Stroll spun his Aston Martin off the track, bringing out the red flag as the opening practice session at Silverstone came to an end.

Valtteri Bottas set a surprise pace ahead of home favourite Lewis Hamilton in first practice for the British GP, as rain at Silverstone delayed any findings into whether an upgraded Mercedes had truly closed the gap at the front.

Mercedes have brought a raft of crucial car upgrades to Hamilton and team-mate George Russell’s home race, with team boss Toto Wolff even insisting that the Silver Arrows are in contention for their first victory of the season.

But intermittent rain during the first hour of practice meant any head-to-head comparisons between Mercedes and their faster 2022 rivals Red Bull and Ferrari will have to wait.

Carlos Sainz had topped most of the session for the Scuderia before Bottas went quickest on a drying track late on, with Hamilton then also going ahead of the Ferrari.

Hamilton and Russell had both been running aero tests during P1.

Red Bull, however, didn’t post a time at all – as championship leader Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez only completed out laps.

More to follow.