Silverstone FP3 gave us everything: red flags, pit lane drama, classic Red Bull trickery, and just enough Ferrari hope to make you sweat before quali.
Red Flags & Rookie Mistakes
Oliver Bearman turned what should’ve been a routine end to practice into a masterclass in what not to do under red flags. Treating pit entry like a push lap on cold tires and brakes never ends well, and the stewards hammered that point home with a 10-place grid drop and four penalty points.
It wasn’t the first time either. Monaco showed he’s got a habit of ignoring flag rules when it counts. Speeding into the pits under a red flag, crashing, and almost blocking the lane is as rookie as it gets, but if he didn’t hit the wall, he probably would’ve got away with it. No such luck this time.
Sauber’s Silverstone Curse Lives On
Bortoleto’s incident also added another chapter to Sauber’s bizarre run of number-two driver disasters at Silverstone. Since 2012, every Sauber driver running second in the team’s championship battle has found a way to crash here, from Kobayashi wiping out his own pit crew to Zhou’s terrifying upside-down shunt in 2022. It’s a streak no team wants but can’t seem to break.
Red Bull’s Overnight Miracle, Again
Red Bull’s knack for Friday-to-Saturday transformations showed up once more. They’re never out of it for long, overnight tweaks, Verstappen’s setup sense, and suddenly the car that looked iffy on Friday is right back at the sharp end. It’s the same every race weekend and it drives the rest of the grid mad.
McLaren Sandbags, Ferrari Flirts
McLaren’s poker face is still holding. They never show their full hand on Fridays and FP3 proved they’ve got genuine pace in the high-speed corners. Ferrari matched them well enough to feed the hype, but for every ounce of optimism, there’s a voice in the back of every tifoso’s mind reminding them it’s Ferrari. Hope is cheap; heartbreak is expensive.
Hamilton’s aborted flyer showed how close it really is. He was tracking to slot right into the mix with Leclerc and Piastri before the red flag cut him short. That unfinished lap sets the stage for a qualifying fight that could swing any way if conditions stay tricky.
Sky Sports, Please. No More Ads.
Off track, fans didn’t hold back: crucial hot laps ruined by badly timed ad breaks. You’d think the message would be clear by now, you don’t run commercials during the money laps at Silverstone.
What’s Next: Buckle Up for Quali
With Bearman’s penalty shaking up the grid, Sauber scrambling to fix broken suspension, and Red Bull’s late magic throwing a wrench into McLaren and Ferrari’s duel, it’s lining up for a spicy qualifying session. The Silverstone crowd wants a home hero, the Ferrari camp wants that front row, and everyone else wants to see if Red Bull can do the miracle twice in one weekend.
We’ve seen this story before, and it never disappoints.