Mercedes dominates FP1 as Ferrari debuts Halo 2 in Britain

Lewis Hamilton edges Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the opening free practice for the British Grand Prix, as Ferrari runs Halo 2 on track for the first time.

Mercedes showed ominous pace in FP1 with its two drivers setting their fastest marks on the medium tyre and lapping 0.8s quicker than Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, who slotted into third on the soft compound. Hamilton's benchmark was a 1:31.654, with Rosberg only 0.033s adrift.

Fourth-placed Sebastian Vettel’s installation lap was more remarkable than others in that the four-time world champion debuted the updated version of the Halo cockpit protection device set for introduction in 2017.

Daniel Ricciardo set the early pace for Red Bull before sliding down to fifth at the flag. Team-mate Max Verstappen sat two spots behind with Kimi Raikkonen, who has been confirmed at Ferrari for 2017, sandwiched in between the two RB12s.

After its troubles in Austria, Force India placed two cars in the top 10 in FP1, as Sergio Perez logged the eighth quickest mark. The Mexican headed the lead McLaren-Honda of Fernando Alonso with Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat slotting into 10th.

Williams had a quiet opening session with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa only 13th and 14th respectively. Just ahead of them was Jenson Button in the second Honda-powered MP4-31.

FP1 was a fairly staightforward affair with only GP3 Series points leader Charles Leclerc triggering a brief yellow flag by spinning at Village on his Formula One debut with Haas. The 18-year-old Monegasque, also a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, was making the first of his five scheduled FP1 outings with the US team.

The only other change from the usual driver line-up came from Esteban Ocon deputising for Kevin Magnussen at Renault. The Frenchman finished P19 and 1.2s behind British rookie Jolyon Palmer in 16th in the other R.S. 16.

After scoring his maiden championship point at the Red Bull Ring, Pascal Wehrlein could only manage the 21st time in FP1 but the 2015 DTM champion still outpaced team-mate Rio Haryanto, who won at Silverstone in GP2 Series last year, by half a second.

AS IT HAPPENED: FP1 for the British Grand Prix

NEWS: Ferrari confirms Raikkonen for 2017 F1 season

Chris Medland's 2016 British Grand Prix preview

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Technical analysis Austria

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