Wella Professionals-backed Wild Card Chiara Bättig set the pace during F1 Academy Free Practice at Silverstone, leading a closely matched group at the start of the 2026 British GP weekend.
Bättig produced a 2m02.640s lap to finish 0.208s ahead of Red Bull Racing-backed championship leader Alisha Palmowski. Alpine-backed Nina Gademan claimed third, while Audi-backed Emma Felbermayr completed a top four separated by only 0.287s.
Two brief yellow flags disrupted the opening half of the 40-minute session. However, the field completed a productive final phase as several drivers shifted their attention between Qualifying simulations and longer-run preparation. Free Practice began at 07:45 local time, with all 18 drivers taking part.
Kosterman stoppage disrupts opening minutes
LEGO-backed Esmee Kosterman brought out the first yellow flag when she stopped during the opening minutes. The interruption briefly delayed the field’s early preparations, although officials soon allowed the drivers to return to full speed.
McLaren-backed Ella Lloyd then established the first meaningful benchmark with a 2m05.240s lap. Felbermayr and McLaren Oxagon-backed Ella Stevens followed with times in the 2m10s as the drivers gradually built temperature in their tyres.
Lloyd improved to 2m04.213s on her next attempt and retained first place as more drivers began their flying laps. The early order remained provisional, though, because most of the field had yet to complete a representative run. The drivers’ official support affiliations come from F1 Academy’s 2026 entry list.
Felbermayr takes control as lap times fall
A second yellow flag briefly interrupted the session when Gatorade-backed Lisa Billard spun at Turn 1. Billard quickly rejoined, which allowed the session to continue without a longer stoppage.
Felbermayr then displaced Lloyd with a 2m04.133s before lowering the benchmark again to 2m03.369s. By the halfway point, 17 drivers had recorded a time, and the Austrian held the advantage as the field began to push closer to the limit.
Meanwhile, Gademan moved within striking distance before completing a 2m03.189s lap to take first place. Her improvement signalled the start of a faster phase as the circuit gained grip and the leading drivers prepared another set of Qualifying-style runs.
Bättig emerges as the leading contender
Bättig initially moved into second with a 2m03.310s lap. She then found more time around Silverstone’s high-speed layout and became the first driver to enter the 2m02s with a 2m02.881s.
Her performance placed the Wild Card entry three tenths clear of Gademan. Felbermayr remained third at that stage, while American Express-backed Ava Dobson and PUMA-backed Rachel Robertson occupied fourth and fifth respectively.
Bättig continued to improve rather than settle for her initial advantage. She produced a 2m02.640s lap during the final 15 minutes, extending her lead and setting the time that would ultimately top the session.
Palmowski joins the battle after delayed opening run
Palmowski remained the only driver without a lap time as the session approached its halfway point. However, she eventually left the pits and opened with a 2m08.708s.
The Briton quickly moved forwards on her subsequent runs. She initially climbed to second with a 2m03.062s before improving to 2m02.989s as the session entered its closing stages.
Elsewhere, Williams-backed Jade Jacquet lost lap times for exceeding track limits, which dropped her down the order. Silverstone’s fast corners and wide exits continued to challenge the drivers as they searched for the final tenths before Qualifying.
Teams turn attention towards race preparation
With less than a quarter of the session remaining, several teams brought their cars into the pits for adjustments. Some drivers then returned to the circuit for longer runs as they collected information on tyre behaviour and race balance.
Nevertheless, the leading contenders continued to improve. Palmowski lowered her time to 2m02.848, while Felbermayr responded with a 2m02.927.
Gademan also found more pace during the final minute. Her 2m02.881s moved her ahead of Felbermayr and secured third place, only 0.033s behind Palmowski.
Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott also made late progress after a relatively quiet start. She climbed to eighth with a 2m03.679s as the chequered flag approached.
Bättig retains top spot ahead of Qualifying
No one could displace Bättig during the final runs, leaving the Swiss driver at the top with her 2m02.640s benchmark.
Palmowski finished second after steadily moving through the order despite setting her first time later than her rivals. Gademan took third ahead of Felbermayr, with less than three tenths covering the four leading drivers.
Bättig’s pace gave her an encouraging start to her Wild Card weekend. However, Palmowski, Gademan and Felbermayr all remained close enough to threaten during Friday evening’s 30-minute Qualifying session.
The session begins at 18:00 local time and will determine the grids for the Reverse Grid and Feature Races at Silverstone.
