The 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix weekend continues to deliver on its promise of entertainment and close racing. The historic Silverstone Circuit, paired with a passionate and enthusiastic crowd, sets the stage for a Grand Prix that is becoming increasingly competitive. The on-track action is tightening, with teams and drivers converging at the top in terms of performance. This trend suggests that the upcoming qualifying session will be exceptionally close and fiercely contested.
Let’s dive into the telemetry and performance data from the third and final free practice session (FP3), because on a track as honest and revealing as Silverstone, the numbers often tell a significant portion of the story unfolding on the circuit.
Charles Leclerc improves in the slow sections (but not like Lewis Hamilton), Max Verstappen flies on the straights
Compared to Friday’s running, several key differences were immediately noticeable from the very first laps of FP3. Most notably, Max Verstappen appeared extremely fast on the straights and during acceleration phases. This suggests that Oracle Red Bull Racing made a clear setup choice for the RB21, opting for a significantly reduced aerodynamic load in order to gain better balance and top-end speed.
Charles Leclerc, who had struggled particularly in the technical corners 3 and 4 during Friday’s sessions, seemed to have studied those sections thoroughly. In FP3, the Scuderia Ferrari driver posted some of the best speeds in that segment, showing clear improvement. However, Leclerc was still somewhat imperfect through turns 6 and 7, where Oscar Piastri managed to regain the tenth of a second he had previously lost.
Interestingly, Lewis Hamilton was the fastest of all in that section of the circuit—although his flying lap was later cancelled due to a red flag. The British driver, racing in front of his home crowd and representing Scuderia Ferrari in the 2025 season, continues to demonstrate excellent pace in the slow-speed corners of the first sector.
Different approaches in high-speed sections
The central sector of the circuit revealed major differences in how the top contenders approached the fast corners. Max Verstappen impressed with his straight-line speed, reaching 299 km/h from Copse corner all the way to the entry of Maggotts. The Red Bull RB21, clearly running a low-downforce setup, was noticeably more reactive and gained nearly two tenths of a second over both Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in this flat-out section.
However, that lack of aerodynamic load began to show at Becketts. Upon exiting Chapel, Max Verstappen was recorded as being 17 km/h slower than Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver, while suffering in straight-line speed due to higher downforce settings, was the fastest at the exit of Chapel—proving the MCL39’s excellent grip in cornering.
Nevertheless, there were visible signs of struggle for Oscar Piastri and the McLaren MCL39 in the violent direction changes at Maggotts and Becketts. This suggests that the car still lacks a bit of responsiveness at the front end.
Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, appeared to strike the most effective balance. This was confirmed by his best overall lap time in the session. His Ferrari SF-25 featured slightly less aerodynamic load than the McLaren, but significantly more than the Red Bull. The car’s very responsive front axle gave Charles Leclerc a clear advantage through the ultra-fast S-sections, enabling him to be both stable and quick.
Stowe corner confirms downforce order, light rain affects Leclerc, Hamilton was chasing P1
In the final sector, telemetry at Stowe corner once again revealed the downforce hierarchy and overall stability of each car. Oscar Piastri registered the highest apex speed at 250 km/h, followed closely by Charles Leclerc, who was just 4 km/h slower. Max Verstappen, by contrast, was 14 km/h slower than Piastri in that same section, confirming that the Red Bull RB21 is running the lightest aero load among the top three teams.
Unfortunately, Lewis Hamilton was forced to abort his flying lap due to a red flag caused by debris. However, telemetry data shows that his performance in the high-speed sections was almost exactly the average between that of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. In the slower sections, Hamilton was the fastest of the group, making it highly likely that the British Ferrari driver was genuinely in contention for the fastest time of the session.
Light rain began to fall just as Charles Leclerc was finishing his lap. A small snap of oversteer at Club corner likely cost him a few hundredths of a second. Still, the overall impression is that the top contenders are extremely closely matched.
Impossible to predict pole position
Given the evidence from FP3, making a reliable prediction for pole position is practically impossible. Max Verstappen, in a car configured with low aerodynamic drag, could benefit particularly during qualifying, where outright speed matters most, and will undoubtedly be in the fight.
McLaren appears to have the car with the highest level of downforce, but drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will need flawless laps to convert that into pole position. Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari looks remarkably competitive—balanced, responsive, and comfortable across all sections of the track.
The battle for pole will likely come down to performance in the slow-speed corners and the balance of courage, aerodynamic load, and stability through the high-speed sections. All signs point to a thrilling qualifying session at Silverstone—provided the weather cooperates
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