By Alan Baldwin
SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) -Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton raised hopes of more British Grand Prix heroics with the fastest lap in first practice on Friday while 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad looked strong in his debut session for Red Bull.
Hamilton, 40 and on a career low sequence of 13 races without a podium finish but a nine-times home race winner, lapped a sunny Silverstone with a best effort of one minute 26.892 seconds.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, favourite for a first home win on Sunday, was 0.023 slower but ahead of championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri in third and 0.150 off the pace.
Piastri leads Norris by 15 points with Silverstone marking the season’s midpoint.
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth with Mercedes George Russell fifth.
It was Hamilton’s first time at a grand prix on home soil in Ferrari’s red colours. The team have yet to win this season, the only top four outfit yet to do so.
Lindblad, replacing Yuki Tsunoda for the session only, ended up 14th fastest with a time only half a second behind that of teammate and reigning champion Max Verstappen, who was 10th.
Red Bull had to seek special dispensation from the governing FIA for the Anglo-Swedish driver with Indian heritage to be allowed to drive while under the age limit of 18.
Only one other driver had debuted so young at a grand prix weekend and that was Verstappen.
Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto spun 360 at speed but without mishap.
Estonian Paul Aron lapped for Sauber and was 17th.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)
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