The British Grand Prix is live on 5 Live and BBC Sport website
Max Verstappen led team-mate Sergio Perez in a Red Bull one-two in first practice at the British Grand Prix.
Williams driver Alex Albon was an unexpected third fastest, 0.253 seconds off the pace, an indication that other teams have not reached their ultimate potential this weekend.
Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin was the first established front-runner behind the Red Bulls in fourth.
He headed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fifth place by just 0.012 seconds.
Alonso was 0.668secs slower than Verstappen, who is looking for a sixth consecutive victory this weekend, with Perez 0.448secs off the benchmark set by his team-mate.
Verstappen’s pace, despite complaints from the Dutchman about a lack of grip that he said felt “like driving on ice”, confirmed the expectation pre-race that Silverstone’s high-speed swerves would emphasise the Red Bull’s advantages over the rest of the field.
Esteban Ocon put in a promising showing and set the sixth fastest time in the upgraded Alpine, which has a new front wing, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and the McLaren of Lando Norris.
Norris, too, has a new front wing in addition to the major upgrade that improved the performance of the McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend.
Mercedes had a difficult session. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were only 12th and 14th fastest, despite both cars being fitted with yet another new front wing as Mercedes continue to deliver upgrades aimed at returning them to a competitive position.
Russell complained that the car was “all over the place in Turns Six and Seven” as both drivers seemed to be battling with a lack of rear grip, a perennial problem for Mercedes since the start of 2022.
Mercedes did not run the soft tyre, which will have affected their positions.
The teams were having their first experience of the new Pirelli tyre, introduced for the rest of the season with a stronger construction to reduce chances of failure.
The session took place under blue skies in temperatures of close to 25C and in front of packed grandstands, with a total of 480,000 expected at Silverstone over the three days of the race meeting.
Unsettled weather with the chance of rain is expected over the weekend.
Those there will have the chance to see Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt driving in a modified Formula 2 car as filming starts for the new Apple F1 movie.
The Oscar winner, who has been practising at Silverstone in the lead up to the race, is playing a veteran racer who returns to the sport to mentor a rising young star.