The British Grand Prix - Practice 1 Formula 1

Hello, welcome to Silverstone, it is great to be here at the British

Grand Prix. We cannot promise sunshine throughout the weekend, but

we have every session live. The first free practice is about to get

underway. This is a fantastic venue, the home of British

motorsport. I started my career here. This weekend is the 50th

anniversary of the running of this race.

here. This weekend is the 50th anniversary of We have three British

drivers on the grid, only one has a chance of winning, Lewis Hamilton.

Jenson Button will be giving everything, as will Max Chilton, but

Lewis Hamilton has got the car, and he seems to have the confidence to

take the fight to Nico Rosberg. He is overdue a victory after last

year. The corral spoke one, and he leads the drivers championship at

the moment. Look at Jenson Button, languishing

in eighth place. Mercedes have a huge lead. It is great to see Force

India in fourth place. Marussia's two points from Jules Bianchi in

Monaco. We also have the added excitement of another British driver

in the first free practice the first female for over 20 years to be in a

Formula One car. Fantastic, she has a very specific testing programme to

do. It will not be very easy to look at her lap times in reference to her

performance, but it is excellent, she has tested in Barcelona, she is

running here and at the German Grand Prix, so we are hoping she has a

good day. It is a big weekend, the grandstands are packed, which is

great, but pressure on her shoulders. No question about it. But

this is the first time, and when she releases the crutch -- clutch, the

heart will be beating faster, but at the end of the first lap, it will be

business as normal. In the commentary box, then Edwards and

Tony. The drivers have got their programmes to go through. Yes, first

practice is important for the drivers to get as much data as

possible. Caterham will have a development driver, as well Sauber

and Force India. You can also get involved through social media. You

can tweak us. You can leave a comment on the BBC Sport Facebook

page. We conceded campsites, it is always amazing to see how many fans

cram in on a Friday. That does not happen at every race weekend! You

feel it as a driver, the grandstands are raised up, you get a Mexican

wave effect as you go around the circuit, it is a special sensation.

The sun is shining, free practice about to start. We will be speaking

to you from the pit lane, but let's leave you with them and Tony in the

commentary box. About 30 seconds before the green

light comes on to start this first practice session of the British

Grand Prix weekend. It is great to have you with us. It is lovely to

see a fantastic gathering of crowds already, the grandstand opposite

looks full, people around every vantage point, a brilliant circuit.

It is fantastic, it is one of the great historic venues, one of two

ever present ones on the schedule. The other is the Italian Grand Prix.

It has a special atmosphere. We are underway. 90 minutes, this session.

The times do not apply to anything in terms of position or points or

anything to do with the end of the race weekend. It is all about the

initial planning, trying to get the cars and the drivers union, getting

a feel for what they are going into four qualifying tomorrow afternoon,

and the race on Sunday. Kevin Magnussen out in the McLaren. Jenson

Button, a glimpse of pink, you will see, because he is wearing a pink

helmet this weekend. It is in memory of his father, John, who died last

winter. He is putting a lot into the event this weekend, inviting people

to wear pink T-shirts in memory of his father, who was famous for

wearing pink shirts. Pink shirts and a glass of red wine, he was a

fantastic character, I remember him from many years ago, with his

rallycross exploits, he loved it. He was a chew -- true enthusiasts, he

took Jenson Button karting in his early days, he was an ace engine

preparation man, he prepared the engines for Lewis Hamilton as well.

You needed him if you are going to win kart races at one stage. Jenson

Button's connection with his father was so strong, he said the world

champ Richard Trophy should have had his father's name on it. They did

everything together, John Wood come to all the races. He was not

intrusive, he would not get in the way and try to make decisions. He

knew what to do, he stood back and he let his son get on with it. Kevin

Magnussen having a wobble, but nothing to worry him. It was quite a

big snap! That what came up! Jenson Button is now on circuit, and

he will be getting a huge amount of support as he takes to the track. It

has not necessarily been coming from within the team. Within the last

week or so, Ron Dennis giving him a GR, saying that he could give harder

-- he could try harder. Jenson Button did not appreciate that. He

said he always gives 100%, he said the whole team needs to be better.

He said, I am doing my best, give me a better car. This is the lady we

are keeping an eye on. Sebastian Vettel's car, the luminous green

paint that the teams often apply in this session to get an idea of

airflow over some revised aerodynamic parts. It is a

high-speed track, it is a different circuit from the last few, Austria

was point and squirt, Montr?al was slow corners, and now we have some

of the fastest corners. Lots of high-speed changes of direction,

very quick corners, and it is a different setup required. RADIO:

Stay out. It is OK. A bit of communication with Kimi Raikkonen.

Talking about Red Bull, they have got some paint on the car, because

in Austria, one or two things were not working as they hoped. They want

to check that out and make sure they have got it right.

to check that out and make sure they have got it It is a different track,

they will be trying different bits and pieces. The development driver

therefore Red Bull, but he is not in the car today. We have the usual Red

Bull drivers. Susie Wolff takes to the track. A bit of history, the

first time in 22 years that a female racer has taken to the track at a

Grand Prix event. She has driven the car in Barcelona, but it is a

different story when the crowds are out and it is an official event. She

will only do this session, but that is in common with what teams do with

their third drivers. Several teams doing that, including Sauber,

Caterham and Force India. I came down to the test she did a year

ago, she did a really impressive job. She lapped within three tenths

of the driver in the Force India. They were very impressed with the

job she did, which is why she has gone through the programme, out of

the simulator, and is in the car. It is great to see. Let's remind you

who she is. She is 31, she comes from Scotland originally, now splits

her time between Switzerland and Oxfordshire. She raced in carts as a

youngster, she really got the flavour of it. Three times she was

the female Carter of the year, the top female in the world in 2000, and

raced against Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton spoke about that in the

press conference. The event was won by another British driver, Colin

Brown. She went into the single-seat cars, and Alan is where she will be

coming into the pit. Yes, as you can imagine, there is a heck of a lot of

cameras around. That is her first lap on the circuit. She is doing a

development programme, so it will be difficult to look at her times and

assess in terms of how she has got on. But if she gets within a second

or Felipe Massa, she will have done a very good job, numbing a bit of

the detail of what she is doing. This is standard, to see the car

come straight back in, it is the installation lap. Kevin Magnussen

has done his, and he has gone straight back out. McLaren getting

on with it. We have seen Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa out as

well. There is Lewis Hamilton, going out now. The man who carries the

hopes of the nation this weekend. It has been a funny season, the

forfeiture is that he had, it looked as though he was going to maintain

the momentum, then we got to Monaco, qualifying did not go well, Nico

Rosberg went off and then I'd him the chance, and ever since he has

not looked as comfortable and imposing as he had been in the early

part of the season. It is a close rivalry. People talk about the great

rivalries of the past. This one is way closer than that, there are

fractions between them. He did have the momentum, but he did not carry

it on. He thought he was stitched up in Monaco, and he had another

problem in Canada, whereas Nico Rosberg has finished all the races.

But in his head, there is not a race where he has not been quicker. It is

not a problem now, he does not have to win this race, he got double

points in the last race, so within he is -- so as long as he is within

14 points by the time we get to Abu Dhabi, he is fine, but questions are

building up in his head. It is important for him that he gets a

decent result this weekend. He has had one victory here, 2008, one of

his best drives. We had wet conditions, and he won by a huge

margin. It was fabulous, a fantastic day, we had that and the epic

Wimbledon final on the same day. Both events of the same mould,

fantastic. B: -- RADIO: Is it left or right hand down? The steering

wheel is not quite straight. You can bet the suspension is straight, but

the steering is slightly off centre. Lee, what kind of mood did you find

when speaking to Lewis Hamilton yesterday? He was in a fantastic

mood. You could not tell he was under pressure, it was the best I

had seen him for a very long time. Yesterday, he just wanted to chat

before and after the interview, he had a bit of hay fever, which

affects people here, and there are very few things you are allowed to

take, because of drugs testing. But he was not feeling the pressure. The

other night, he decided to drive around Stevenage, where he grew up,

he drove past houses that he used to go to school with, and he said how

important it was to remember where he came from and his roots. That

seems to be where he is at, not just about enjoying his life and the pop

star girlfriend and the riches of being a Formula One driver, but

remembering where he came from. When I asked how he thinks he can handle

the pressure, he said, time will tell. That is one thing you can only

find out as and when it is happening. At the moment, Nico

Rosberg has momentum, Lewis Hamilton agreed, he says, this is the weekend

to bring it back. Tom Clarkson also caught up with him briefly after the

press conference. And put it to him about how special it is to race here

at sill remember stone. -- Silverstone.

What would victory this weekend mean to you? That's the question I am

asked all the time, so, should have a good answer for you but I don't

really. It's going to be, it's always, every year, and when you

leave even if you don't - I can't wait until next year for the

opportunity again. Last year we had a chance to win it and the tyre

issue stopped us from doing that. This is a new year. We have a great

car. Coming here with the confidence that we have, I have a chance this

weekend, it's unlike any other Grand Prix weekend or any other year I

have had since even 2008, I didn't realise I could have won it until

the start, you know. This weekend we come into it knowing the opportunity

is there, have to work towards it. That was Lewis speaking yesterday.

The long interview that Lee carried out with him, you can see that on

our qualifying programme. Qualifying starts at 11. 55 on BBC2. A long

interview with Lewis Hamilton and if you want to hear the interview with

Radio 5 that's on the podcast, talking about coming into this event

and that can be downloaded, as well. The track looks spectacular. We are

looking from the helicopter shots at the moment over the Silverstone

circuit. It's such a popular venue. The drivers love the fast corners,

we have been talking about them a little bit. Of course, it's an

opportunity for them to really test themselves, if you like, the highest

G-forces of the year will be exerted. Absolutely. We had 160mph

lap here back in 1985. The point is whatever you get, they do love it as

a challenge. They know it's a proper track. You can let the car go. You

can get the best out of a Formula One car and that's what they all

love. Alan, you have driven all sorts of cars here over the years.

Give us some of your thoughts on driving Silverstone. Also driven it

in all sorts of configurations. The old circuit when you think back to

the Mansell battles was extremely fast. Five corners and you had to

really hold on to the car as you were throwing it in and attacking

the circuit. That's on a - that sort of general feeling has stayed the

same. Still high-speed corners, and names that make you shiver a little

bit when you think about it, but the thing about this track is it's one

that's got all these little I had I - I think it suits a driver that

will attack it. You don't sort of gently build up to this circuit. You

have to grab hold of it and take it and then it will give you something

back in a fast lap time. We are having a look inside the Mercedes

pit. It's lovely to see they have the car that raced here in 1954, if

it's the actual car. They didn't win on that occasion, they were beaten

by Ferrari. They brought the streamliner car, but found it hard

to position it and I think hit one or two bales of straw going around.

It used to be different in those days. Just a bit! Lovely to see the

car here. Yeah, that was the great thing in 55, did he or did he not

win that race? That was Aintree. Mercedes winning a one-two, which is

what they're looking at doing that here. They won last year thanks to

Nico Rosberg but Hamilton was leading from pole position. He was

unlucky. He had that tyre problem last year. Pole position is

something he needs. He has messed up the last three qualifying sessions.

Going back to talking about the rivalry, it's close enough to put

him under pressure, obviously. If you go back... Stop the car, stop

the car and switch off. Oh, that's a bit unfortunate. Alan,

can you find out what's going on at all for Lotus? Yes, I was just

walking down. Lined up at the end of the pit lane. There was McLaren and

Williams behind him, they had to abort their practice start because

Maldonado had technical problem. It certainly hasn't been a lucky year

for that boy. He did choose number 13. It's his permanent race number.

A few people have been saying since the beginning of the year, maybe

that wasn't such a good idea. Susie has chosen number 41. Haven't the

story on that. Wonder what the story is. A lot of drivers have gone for

numbers that were successful for them in their carting days. Susie is

now back out on track. No lap times have been set by anybody as yet. We

are still waiting for anyone to do a flying lap.

That's an interesting bit - they have all the names of the team on

the side of the Marussia, by the look of it. That's a nice bit of

support for the people that put in hard work. And they've been rewarded

a bit this year because they've some points on the board. That was great

to see in Monaco and so important for teams like that to get points on

the board, it makes an opportunity of finishing in the top ten in the

constructors' championship, get more money which is their lifeblood.

They've a decent chance of holding on to that, it's Caterham and Sauber

they're ahead of and you don't see those scoring a point. A few cars at

the end of the pit lane. We are seeing practice starts here,

presumably? We are, getting into the position to get a first feel of the

starts. It's a difficult one here at Silverstone, if you are too far down

the pit lane you actually have to then accelerate up through the

right-hander and that's a low grip surface and the barriers are close

to you. Sauber parked past the line. He has started his practice start

after the line. Normally that isn't quite technically allowed.

OK. We will watch that. DRS in operation for Susie Wolff. Two

around this track. The other one is heading towards stow corner. A

couple of opportunities to use that drag reduction system.

Still yet to see anybody complete a full flying lap.

But quite a few cars on track now. 15 cars on track, just seven

still... The technical boss at Toro Rosso was having a conference with

journalists yesterday and saying how impressed he is with Daniil Kvyat,

he is fast and said he also listens. He has confidence but listens to

what the team tell him and puts it into practice. So far, the Russian

has driven well, hasn't he, Tony? He has. He has looked as if he was born

to it the moment he got in the car. The car is driven with confidence.

He looks like he has been doing it ten years. Susie Wolff sets the

first time and fasters for the moment. Faster than Button and

Ericsson. Top of He has been supportive of her the

whole time. That's one for him to take on his phone. A little bit of

lock-up. But again she managed to release the

brake and keep the wheel turning which is important.

Everybody on the hard tyre this morning.

McLaren there didn't look particularly good. Looked like it

had a lot of understeer there. Beginning to go quicker now, Button

and Magnussen. The pink helmet shows up brilliantly well, we won't get it

wrong between those two this weekend. Into the last couple of

corners. This should be a fast time. Rosberg just seen go fastest.

Good to see a dry first practice session. Looking back at the

records, the only time that the session was dry for first practice

on this revised circuit, which was introduced in 2010, was actually

2010. Every year since then, 11, is it and 13, we have had either rain

or dampness on circuit and haven't had particularly representative lap

times. So great start to the Silverstone weekend. The sun is

shining but Susie Wolff has stopped. She's come to a stop. Out on track.

Now, it looks like she just pulled over. So, what is going on there I

am not sure. Maybe they've had some sort of technical problem. That's

des pointing. Let's -- disappointing. Let's hope they can

get something reset and send her on the way.

Sounded like something happened with oil pressure and everything stopped.

It may be the system just shut down. If it was reading zero oil pressure

I am sure the system would shut down. That's a very disappointing.

Sir Frank Williams watching, everybody wondering what's going on

at this stage. If they can't get the car back that will be the end of her

session, which would be bitterly disappointing. But she's just got to

cope with this and get the car out of the way. Already taken her gloves

off, which indicates she's not confident she's going to be getting

going once again. Oh, dear, what a disappointing way

to perhaps end this session. Williams has been reliable this

year. So, what a time for it to go wrong.

Yeah, that's a real shame. It does happen with these cars. The last

race Vettel, his car shut down. Obviously this is a different

engine, but sometimes you make a demand and ask for an engine map and

in Vettel's case it wasn't accepted and it shut down. The only way out

was like a 60-second reset which is why he didn't go anywhere for a

minute. This is on board Rosberg as sues - he ran wide. Wonder what we

were looking at there. Made a mistake himself as he came through.

But didn't cause him any problems. Just looking at slow-motion action

of one or two drivers, getting used to the grip available this weekend.

Susie Wolff in trouble. And Maldonado having problems, have you

been able to find out more about that Yes, the team are quickly

working on the car, it's the motor generator unit. It has failed and

effectively that stopped the car. The trick, I think, or the

difficulty is they get five of these units for the season and I reckon he

must be close, if not at his 5th one for the year, so it's a bitter blow,

not necessarily because he is losing this first practice while the team

change that, also it might very soon incur a penalty if he goes over the

five. I think you are right. We are going to see a few teams getting to

the point of having grid penalty it's for using -- pen yaments for

using more. -- penalties for using more. Each bit of that engine is

allocated, if you have a 5th turbo, for example, that's your limit. One

more after that and you are into the penalties for the next race. Next

year it's going to be four. That's right. Even more limited. Let's ride

with Lewis Hamilton here. A good lap here. Not as quick as Jess son

button. -- Jess son button. He is being watched closely by the

technical boss at Mercedes. For many of these teams it's not only a home

nation race, it's also a race that's down the road. Mercedes, for

example, very short trip. Something like eight of the 11 teams based

within 125 kilometres of this circuit. So, that tells you how much

of a British-based sport Formula One is and the history of the place and

why they want to be here and want to see the cars performing and the

people from the factory come. It's very much a family thing. They all

love being here. On board the Force India. A little bit of a lock-up.

Ofs able to bring the car back to the main track. Button is fastest.

Susie Wolff's session seems to be over and that's disappointing. All

she managed to do was four lapse. One of those was an installation

lap. She hadn't really got going at all. Her sector times were beginning

to improve but it looks as though it's all over and that's bitterly

disappointing. That's the way moat are racing is sometimes. - motor

racing is sometimes. You can get in touch with us using the hashtag BBC

F1. We are riding with Nico Rosberg. Jenson Button says it seems like

they are overheating the front. Really to go further in the year for

we can think about whether Nico Rosberg has enough in hand. The

margin sounds like a lot, but you get 25 points for a victory. After

Canada, somebody asked, can Lewis Hamilton catch up? It was said,

there are seeking races left -- there are 13 races left, including

the double points in Abu Dhabi. It is controversial, the double

points, and it could come down to that. You need to have such a

margin, 50 points, more fun, over your team-mate, and that will not be

easy. He is pushing the car quite hard now. This lap time is pretty

rapid. And a hit for Felipe Massa! He has hit the wall very hard. A

terrible start to the day for Williams, one car stopped, one car

crashed. The red flag has been brought out. After a brilliant

weekend in Austria, Pole position, a third place and a fourth place,

their home Grand Prix has started off terribly. Felipe Massa has hit

the wall pretty hard. That is the pit lane entry, he has lost it on

the exit of the corner. EVERYTHING -- RADIO: Everything OK? He has put

a wheel over the curb, by the looks of it. He is going into his 200th

Grand Prix. You would not expect somebody of his experience and

knowledge, he has never had tremendous results here, but what a

way to start for Williams. That is awful, they scored 27 points at the

last race, they thought they had moved on. We are expecting him to

put a wheel over the edge on the left-hand side. Yes, he gets on the

artificial grass and slams into the barrier. Hundreds of thousands of

pounds worth of damage in just a moment, a fraction of a second. He

hit the back hard. Look at the rear suspension. The gearbox has taken a

pounding, the rear wing has been ripped off. Alan, what a terrible

start. He was just getting the wheel over there, it is a very fast exit.

If you have got any sort of steering angle, the front bites and the rear

comes round. We saw it with Fernando Alonso in the damp conditions, going

into the wall on the right-hand side. For the team coming off a

fantastic result in Austria, they were getting more confident and

aggressive, and with both cars being out at the moment, this will knock

them back severely. Felipe Massa, after the joy of Austria, trudging

back, he knows it was his error. It is difficult to admit to it, but

that is all you can do. They might end up with just Valtteri Bottas'

data from the next session. It was not likely to be quite as strong a

circuit for them as Austria, but they were good in Spain, they would

have been in the battle. We are expecting Red Bull to be stronger

this weekend, it is difficult to say about the others. Ferrari might be

there. But this will hurt Williams considerably. A very difficult

start. Such a shame for Felipe Massa. At the last race, Rob Smedley

said he seems to be in a better place, he feels comfortable, and he

has come off the back of having to take on Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

Rob said, Fernando Alonso is a fantastic capacitor, it is every

session. He has come away from that, he felt great at Williams, and he

has had for non-finishes in the first eight races, sometimes not

through his own fault. He looked to be getting there, and then we see

this. You have got the grams meter, it will be interesting to see that.

He just runs too wide. Off he goes. There is a sensor in the car, and if

the reading is beyond a certain level, it lights the medical light

in the car and back in race control, so it tells the medics he has had an

impact beyond a certain level. I imagine that would have triggered

it. They are discussing what has been a difficult start to the day.

The only slight silver lining, we saw the recovery truck going to

Susie Wolff's car, and I wonder if they can get that car back, and she

might get some laps in. Somewhat ironic, her team-mate crashing out

and causing this red flag, but let's hope they might be able to get the

other car returned. That car will hopefully be lifted out of the way.

We were talking about Williams' chances, what about Red Bull? They

had a difficult time in Austria, with the retirement of Sebastian

Vettel, and Daniel Ricciardo was disappointed with himself, but there

is more optimism, as we found when we spoke to Daniel Ricciardo

yesterday. We can be more optimistic. Whether

we can be crazily optimistic and expect to be up there with

Mercedes, probably not, we will take baby steps for now. But on paper, it

should suit us more. If we can get the car working with high-speed

stuff, which it normally does, we should be more competitive, just

behind Mercedes. But let's see how we go on Friday. It is a track I

enjoyed a lot, whether that council anything, we will see.

Felipe Massa, you have got to feel for him. He does not want to get

back! You are on full view. He is getting a lovely reception, but it

is not the way you want to be presenting yourself. It will not be

so warm when he gets back! All of the big brass from Williams are here

this weekend. Their new motorhome made its debut this weekend, they

were kind enough to invite us in this morning. Claire was hanging

pictures yesterday. Lee McKenzie is with Felipe Massa.

Are you OK? Yes, I am fine. Are you OK? No issues whatsoever? Are you

sure? 100%. Tell us about the accident. I went on the outside of

the curb, it pushed the inside. It is a shame to start the day like

this. How much damage was done? A lot.

Well done for diving in and getting anything out of him. He has been in

similar situations before, we have got a red flag, the session has been

paused. Jenson Button waiting to come back out. His time of the

fastest for a while, but he has been pushed down to eighth place. There

is not a huge amount of optimism from McLaren. One person asks what

upgrades McLaren have brought for this special weekend. It is a home

race for them. I do not get the vibe is that they are expecting anything

great. I do not think there is anything sensational. They are

looking at a strategic introduction of updates of the season goes on.

Alan, what have you got? On the back of McLaren, with the hard and medium

tyres, generating temperature is important, and that is what they

have struggled with on the front tyres, especially Jenson Button. A

couple of years ago, they were very fast when it was hot, and they

struggled when it got colder. If it is a hot weekend, they have got half

a chance, but if not, it will be a tough weekend. This circuit is

dependent on a red and, which is a point of weakness with McLaren. The

last Grand Prix, in Austria, big, long straights and traction, but

this is about a wry dynamic downforce. McLaren not expecting

great things. Fernando Alonso having a tough year again. The car not

proving to be as competitive as Ferrari would hope. Slightly more

worrying for Italian fans generally, one of the bits of news was that

Bernie Ecclestone was talking about there being no monster in the

future. -- Monza I do not take it too seriously. We have seen him

employ these tactics before. He has spoken about the commercial

agreement being a disaster, it is just trying to get them to make a

commitment to improving the track. Let's hear what Fernando Alonso

said. We do not have a big part in these

decisions, we just drive. We would prefer to drive with the spectators

around, so I think Monza has been quite good for a lot of us. If you

race for Ferrari or another team, it is a great atmosphere. It was the

same in Austria, if you drive for Red Bull or another team, you feel

the warm atmosphere and the passion for motor racing. Some circuits are

nicer to race than others, where we race alone, with empty grandstands,

but we do not have a big part in these decisions. We will try to put

on a good show for whatever clap we have.

There is Susie Wolff's car. The problems for her team-mate's car...

Both of the cars are in the pit lane. One is complete, Susie

Wolff's, it was an engine problem, so whether they can reset something

or whether it is seriously mechanical, the team will be itching

to get to grips with it. But Felipe Massa's car will take a bit longer.

It is a shame for Susie Wolff, people underestimate the amount of

effort she has put into it. You read stuff and they talk about it being a

publicity stunt. She had a neck issue last year, she has taken it

very seriously. She did 86 laps here last year, she was bruised and

battered, a huge out of effort. Her husband said, what have you done to

my wife, she has a neck like Mike Tyson? Ten years ago, she finished

fifth in a championship in which the top three included Paul di Resta.

She massacred one driver in that championship, and he drove for

Marussia twice last year. She is no mean performer. She is used to

driving in front of huge crowds, she is making her way back into the

garage. She raced seven years for Mercedes in DTM, massive crowds.

The engine has gone, terminal. The inside has gone. Unfortunately.

Gutted. We just heard it is terminal, the

engine has gone, and internal problem. It is all over, but she

does have Germany lined up, she is due to drive the car again in this

session in Germany. It's such a shame. A circuit she

knew and prepared for. It's crushing really. So disappointing. She hasn't

had a decent chance to get some lapse in. She did four lapse in

total. One of those was an installation lap. She hadn't really

started to put a lap together at that point. Her session is over. So,

very, very sad. I was there the last time in 92, and she tried in Brazil

in Mexico and South Africa. We are going for a package that gives us

more to get the high speed. They have to do a front ride. We are

happy to make the trade-off and go from there. We are still OK on plan.

We are not meant to go out for another seven minutes. So got plenty

of time. That message was delayed slightly, of course, the session

will restart at 10. 43am. Thank you for your comments. Great to have

those. Some of them referring to what we have seen. Simon saying,

gutted for Susie Wolff. Still very inspiring. Nice of you guys to still

be inspired by what she's done. The sheer amount of work she's done to

get into position and the opportunities are infrequent. The

opportunities, not just for Susie, but the likes for Danill. There's

little opportunity to show what they can do. In Susie's case it was 22

years since it last happened. She knows she's not going to win the

World Championship, she was hoping to at least be an inspiration for

women in motor sport and prove that they can do it. You can reach the

top. It's just very sad. Well, Williams having a very poor start to

their Silverstone weekend. Their home Grand Prix has not beone well.

One car into the barrier and another broken down with engine failure. We

will be seeing cars back on track in a moment. Some more of your

comments. Dean saying, if Mercedes stopped being dominant which team

would be most likely to take advantage? That's a good question,

Dean. I think you have to say that Williams and Red Bull have been the

nearest challengers to Mercedes and it does depend on the circuits. Red

Bull like the faster circuits. We are expecting, as Ricardo was saying

earlier. Can't discount Ferrari, they show flashes of pace, it

doesn't seem to be all the time. It tends to be Friday pace. Although

having said that, Fernando worked wonders to get to the finish

somewhere near a Williams in Austria, that was a fabulous drive.

You are right, Red Bull, you wonder how quick that Red Bull will go with

a Mercedes engine. There is talk about engine changes. There is

rumours that Lotus might have a Mercedes engine next year. These

things will change. I am sure that Red Bull also are putting a huge

amount of effort in to get Renault to up their game. There's been

changes there. Caterham, a change of ownership has led to the man who was

effectively managing the Caterham team, gone back to Renault now. He

is an impressive man. Not sure there was a lot he could do at Caterham to

make that team make progress. He is back in the Renault fold. You have

to think that Renault are taking this challenge very seriously. They

need to make some progress with that. In fairness to them, speaking

to both Vettel yesterday and Ricardo, they say the drivability

has improved significantly. It seems that the issue is not enough power

from the internal combustion engine. They've been impressed by the

drivability. That's what has allowed them to get amongst it at some

circuits. We are going to have a long interview with Sebastian Vettel

this weekend in our BBC coverage, that's something else to watch out

for. We saw Max Chiltern a moment ago. He is the third British driver

here this weekend. Whilst he might not be up there for a podium finish,

he is still excited to be racing at his home Grand Prix. Not

particularly, it's not a hard thing, obviously there is a lot of press

and stuff to do on the week before. I have been absolutely manic this

week. I wouldn't change it for the world. Racing on your home soil in a

Formula One race is something which you never forget. I remember last

year it was a race I will never forget. It wasn't a perfect race but

we had a good battle and I came out on top fighting, you know, I want to

have a good race again this year. And put on a good show for the fans.

I am probably a bit biased, I would like to think it's one of the

biggest races of the year on the calendar, if not the biggest.

Testify tens of thousandsen -- we have tens of thousands of people

camping, whatever the weather, hopefully we will have a good

weekend. We ride on board with Daniil Kvyat.

A big grandstand coming up on the exit.

The old pits are on the right side, still used for many of the support

races here at Silverstone. Flashes down towards the corner.

Still a very quick corner. It's down a couple of gears now.

The car is hitting the ground a little bit. It really looks pretty

stiffly set up for these high-speed corners. There is going to be a

change next year. We saw the experiment in Austria of using

titanium as the plates as opposed to heavy metal. It doesn't spark in the

same way. For next year it was confirmed yesterday that they will

be using the titanium. He was saying it wasn't just a gimmick. There is

two valid reasons. First of all, the metal being used at the moment it

caused a couple of punctures. Also, the material they use at the moment

wears - titanium will wear as quickly. They can't run the car and

will have to think about that a bit more. Two realistic reasons apart

from throughing up a few spectacular sparks for the fans. We will look

forward to see how that is. Alan, you have a view of the cars on

track. Tell us where you are. A stunning view. I am standing right

at the apex of turn one. They fly through the right-hander, the wind

is picking up a lot. A Ferrari comes through of Raikkonen. Force India,

they'll be good around here because they always have been. There was a

much neater line there from the Force India as it comes through. We

are with Sebastian Vettel at the moment.

I wonder if the four-time world champion is going to get his - pick

up his season a little bit this weekend. He has been unlucky. A

retirement last time out in Austria. They had that technical glitch.

Managed to reset it but they decided to withdraw from the race. He was

running right down at the back of the field. Watching him come down

now, towards the corner. Where Massa had his accident earlier. Corners

Red Bull is normally good on. Vettel has a good record here. Pole

position in 2009 and 2010. Always had a race on his hands with his

team-mate, though, Mark Webber who was always fast at Silverstone. He

was great in the quick corners. Vettel admitted, he said, he is

better than me in the quick. Yeah, now he has a fight on his hands with

another Australian. That's right, yes not bad for a number two driver

said Mark Webber. Mark is joining us on our coverage this weekend and

will be giving us tips as to how he was fast here on Silverstone. That's

a fun feature to watch out for, perhaps giving away some secrets.

The programme starting 11. 55 on Saturday. We will learn his tricks

before the qualifying session itself. Maldonado's car still being

worked on. This track should suit Lotus better than Austria. They've

had a poor run of tracks since - had a lot of problems, hopefully will go

better. Lee has managed to catch up with Susie. Let's go to the pits.

Thank you, Susie, such a disappointing end after the work you

put in. What was the problem? Really tough day but that's Formula One

sometimes. We had an oil pressure problem which cut the engine off.

Car is back already and the guys are looking at it, hopefully they can

find the problem and get it fixed. Describe the emotions of when you

headed out of the garage and went out in front of the fans, we saw

your names on banners, as well. First of all, a huge thank you for

the support I have had. It really means a lot. It helped a lot. It was

wonderful. Going out on to the track was the best feeling because

although there's been a lot of media around my run actually when you put

the helmet on and you are in the car that's when it's the best, just you

in the car. As soon as I left the pit lane everything felt good. I

knew what I had to to and had a good feeling in the car. I was looking

forward to it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a short run. But

that's life sometimes. Now I have to keep my head up and look forward to

Hockenheim. This is the first of several days you are doing, as well.

How much do you think you were able to put the nerves behind you and get

out there, that you can take forward and go to Hockenheim and feel that

it might only have been four lapse but it's four lapse more than before

today -- laps? I felt ready for the day. The team had done a fantastic

job of preparing me. I knew exactly what I had to do. For me it was good

to get that first run on an actual race weekend in the bag. Now I can

keep working towards Hockenheim with knowing what exactly what I have to

do there and exactly thousand will feel. You were in the car -- exactly

how it will feel. What does it mean for Marcus, the guys will be working

hard on Philip's car, as well. Of course it's tough. It's not the

great start to the weekend we hoped for. We will move on and pick

ourselves up. My car came back quite quickly, they'll be able to get it

ready in time and that's important he gets running today. Bad luck,

thank you for talking to us. Thank you.

Well, she's dealing with the PR side of it well. Some of your comments

coming in, thank you for those. One saying, unlucky for Susie, she's

done so much in the motor sport world. It's a shame to see her

career start like this. Another saying I feel for Susie, when you

get a chance you need to show what you can do quickly. She didn't get

that chance at all. So, denied the opportunity. But motor racing, as we

know, Tony, can be awfully cruel, sometimes. It's a cruel, cruel

sport. Not all the time, but it can be. It can indeed. Sebastian Vettel

is finding that out this year a little bit, as well, after having so

much success the last four years. One asking do we think Red Bull

could beat Mercedes this weekend? I think it's unlikely unless Mercedes

really shoot themselves in the foot. Who knows, they've had mistakes,

errors, things didn't go well in Canada. Now this isn't a heavy

circuit on brakes. It's something like 8% of the lapse on brakes, one

of the lower percentages. A bigger problem is getting enough energy

recovery from that inspect of braking. I did speak quickly to

Renault, I felt the same as you it might be difficult, they said

although the amount of braking and level of brake something not as high

you still have a lot of corners. Periods slowing down and that's all

regeneration time. In fact, he said, the recoverable energy is not a big

deal. He also said... A problem at the moment, will advise. He also

said that fuel is not a major factor, in other words, this isn't

one of the highest fuel consumption tracks. You are maintaining a

minimum speed. Alan, I guess that makes sense in terms of this being a

more fast and flowing track. Yes, it is. It's a much longer circuit than

Austria. Therefore, they use double the fuel anyway. However, it is a

fast and flowing circuit. With that you can recover quite a lot of fuel

consumption just by doing lift-off. Here at turn one there is a few cars

going through flat but that's mainly the Red Bull. Everybody else is

having to lift off. That's not due to fuel, that's purely due to the

wind blowing the cars around and rear instability. Did you happen to

see Sauber? Yes, we both sort of took a sharp intake of breath. The

rear was dancing around behind as he went through. That seems to be where

the problem lies for most of the cars. The Red Bull just flashed

through in front of me. I don't think there was a slightest hint of

a lift there between the Red Bull. Nico Rosberg is currently the

fastest, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who is faster than Fernando Alonso

at the moment. RADIO: You can continue the run for the moment.

They have recovered that problem for Nico Rosberg. The Toro Rosso cars

showing a good turn of pace again, but they are desperate for

reliability. Daniel Ricciardo has been pushed down by Kevin Magnussen.

Lewis Hamilton down in 11th place, but he has just gone fastest in the

first sector. Maldonado. The car is in trouble.

The other Caterham has not set a time,

Maldonado. The car is in trouble. The other Caterham has not set a but

hopefully we will see him. Fernando Alonso improving a little bit. The

fastest middle sector for Fernando Alonso.

Daniel Ricciardo has moved up to second, and now Fernando Alonso

moves to second. And now Lewis Hamilton go second. That is the

point, it is the closeness, as we said earlier. The other rivalries,

you knew that Ayrton Senna was quicker than Alain Prost, but it is

not letting Lewis Hamilton relax. If you go back to Monaco, there might

have been something iffy, but he did not get his first run, so that let

Nico Rosberg get into that position. He is obviously under pressure. Nico

Rosberg has gone even quicker. I wonder if Lewis Hamilton will do the

same. Quite similar plans at the moment. This was a moment ago for

Fernando Alonso. A bit of under steer. He just got it back. The

front tyres scrubbing across the surface of the track. The car not

responding quite as well as he would have liked. But he held it together,

and he is third fastest, behind Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Just

over half an hour to go. There is the boss of Mercedes and the triple

world champion Nicky louder. He may be a bit more relaxed now that his

wife is no longer on the track, but he will be disappointed for her.

RADIO: 0.2 on the first sector, zero on the middle sector, and we need to

find 0.3 on the final sector. A bit of work to be done. He backed off,

so he has not gone for another really quick lap. I wonder if he

will keep it quiet until we get into the main part of qualifying. Last

year, he was on pole by over 0.4 seconds. Virtually 0.5 seconds.

Joining us is Christian Horner. Good to have you with us, tell us how the

plan is going at this stage, you are currently in fourth place and sixth

place. We are working through a programme, settling in to the

circuit, working on the setup, both guys are dialling themselves in.

Both getting used to the conditions. It is Marcus Ericsson who spun,

hopefully that will not cause any delays in the programme. This is

more of a Red Bull circuit, Austria was not especially suited to the

strengths and weaknesses, but this track is where downforce is king, so

can you challenge Mercedes? I am not sure anybody can at the moment, they

are looking pretty racy. But we should be better suited than we were

in Austria. We are closer to the pace. But it is quite a gap to Nico

Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. A bit of weather tomorrow, so we will see.

What is the story in getting more horsepower or energy out of

Renault? How hard you pushing? What are the plans? They have had a

management shuffle, which is a positive sign. He is a good guy,

somebody who have worked with before, and he will make the right

changes and push in the right direction. But there is plenty of

work to do. We have got to try to close the gap. We can see why Marcus

Ericsson is on the inside of Becketts, but he did not let -- hit

anything. Coming back to the weather forecast, you mean we are looking at

rain over the weekend? When will we get it? Originally, they said it

would be horrible on Sunday, but it has been brought forward to

tomorrow. And again to Overton night, into tomorrow morning, and it

should be better tomorrow afternoon. It seems to be changing all the

time. We are in the British summer, of course! Thank you for joining us,

Christian, it will be great to hear from you later over the weekend.

Marcus Ericsson, that is a shame, it looked like the car was running, but

he has been caught out by the two rain as he tried to get it back onto

the track. He has had a tough baptism. He has joined the team, it

is not a great car. Early on in the season, he had his first wet weather

session and he went off. It has been such a tough learning process. They

have gone through a change of ownership since we last saw them,

Tony Fernandez no longer owns the team. He always threatened that he

was losing interest, he wanted to see a more competitive performance,

and now we have a new consortium of people involved. A couple of names

involved, the adviser has been involved many times in the past.

Yes, we will see how that goes. A former driver as well. You do not

often see drivers coming back in a management role. We saw it with HRT

a couple of years ago, but are you surprised? Yes. A consortium of

investors investing in Caterham, we will see how that goes! You can only

make a small fortune out of motor racing if you start with a big one.

Bernie Ecclestone has done well for a lot of people, but that team does

not look like it will finish in the top ten. It is interesting that

somebody has chosen to buy them! We will see what happens. Another team

based not too far away. They moved from Norfolk to oxygen a little

while ago. -- to Oxfordshire. This session was interrupted by the

accident for Felipe Massa earlier, he crashed on the exit to a corner,

and we have also seen problems with the other Williams car, Susie Wolff,

a major internal problem with her engine. But Mercedes are on top, no

great surprise. Nico Rosberg first, Lewis Hamilton second, then Fernando

Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo. They will get free medical care at

Caterham now that Colin is back, he is a fully qualified dentist! That

is a bonus! He has treated drivers in the paddock before! Felipe Massa

might need him this morning! It is always good to have a sideline!

Lewis Hamilton back on track again, such a crucial weekend for him,

looking to win his home Grand Prix, for only the second time. I bet in

2008, his second year in Formula One, he thought there would be

plenty more, but we have not seen the kind of dominance we saw from

Jim Clark in the 60s, across the three different tracks. Brands

Hatch, entry and Silverstone. Nigel Mansell, of course. RADIO: The track

is now clear. Yes, Nigel Mansell, one of the great heroes of British

Formula One, he won five times on home soil, including the European

Grand Prix, and he is the steward this weekend. He loves being here.

There was something special about his victories here. He knew how to

put on a show. I remember the race in 1987, that will never be

bettered. Spellbinding stuff. He always had a massive amount of

support. If Lewis Hamilton put that car on pole position, that will

provide tremendous entertainment. Talking of British drivers, one who

was on the grid last year but is not this year, Paul di Resta.

Lovely to see you, different from last year, though. Is it tough,

being a spectator? Yes. It is great to be here, it is special, but I am

missing being involved. But being back in the paddock, seeing what

opportunities are about, because once you have the taste, you never

lose it, and I am even more dedicated to get back in. It is a

challenge, but I will enjoy it and do my utmost. This is business as

opposed to pleasure? Yes, you can enjoy what the Grand Prix is, but it

is about seeing what opportunities are about, because you need to be in

that position to jump in, should anything come up, and keeping your

face in front of people who matter. Are there opportunities? It is hard

to read. It is still quite early. From this race on to Monza is the

key point in the year, it is the silly season. It is when speculation

comes, but when you are determined to do something, you need to get

yourself there. I can be quite relaxed, I am enjoying DTM, that is

my number one think this year, because my services are there, but I

am exploring opportunities in Formula One, and that is where your

heart lies. But racing DTM is great, being involved with

Mercedes-Benz, it is nice to be back in that family, and I will keep

working. Dario, we have not seen you very often here, because you have

been racing in America, are you enjoying it? Yes, I have never seen

this before. I got lost this morning! It is fun to be here, it is

good to catch up with Paul, I have not seen him for a couple of months.

I would drive the Lotus everyday, so I am looking forward to that. I am

here is a global ambassador, it is nice to give something back, it is

an online resource for young drivers. I had Jackie Stewart

helping me out, and putting people around me who could teach me stuff,

but most people do not have those advantages. That is what that does.

And having a good time. You are a huge historian when it comes to

motorsport, what does it mean for you to be in Jimmy's car this

weekend? The 50th anniversary of races here, to drive the Lotus 25 is

incredibly special. I will have my replica Jim Clark helmet and a suit

on and some bits of memorabilia. He fascinates me, he is my absolute

hero. It is an absolute privilege to do that and to see some of the other

guys driving these cars. It will be a nice, slow parade. It will have to

be slow, because I do not know where this new track goes! If there is a

good thing about retirement, it has allowed me to live in the UK again,

and to spend time at events like this and catch up with old friends.

Tremendous hero of many drivers. And a hero, no doubt, of our own Alan.

Alan, you have moved around, a different corner you are watching.

Yes. You see the wind has picked up a little bit. The flags are blowing

and the cars are getting blown around a lot. The McLaren comes

through now. Jenson Button accelerates.

It intrigues me, in lighter lower category cars, you can understand

them blown around, at this level with this horsepower, you are still

obviously aware of that breeze picking up. The limits of physics

are the limits of physics and on the edge of the grip level everything

that upsets it, and it's gusty now, there is a big gust coming through.

If that catches you, and this is an open air field, therefore, where the

grandstand ends you get this funnel of air coming through, if it pushes

the front of the car a little more, that might have been part of the

reason that Massa ran wide because it's exposed out there at that

corner. Now one of the Force India is coming through gentle in his

approach but then behind him the Force India. Toro Rosso is

struggling more with that wind effect. Alan, you are busy watching

cars coming through. It's quiet on circuit at the moment. Four cars on

track, I think. A couple of things that have come up this week, we are

being asked by a few people getting in touch is what are our thoughts on

the new idea of having standing restarts for next season, just

explain this is the idea when we have a safety car period during the

race, instead of the safety car peeling in and then there is a

rolling restart in the order, single file, then the safety car will peel

in but the cars will come around that last corner, stop on the grid,

no mechanics will come out, like it's a formation lap, the lights

will come on and off they go. What's your thinking, Alan? We were both in

the press conference yesterday when the race director explained the

reasons behind that and some of the other changes that were being

proposed. Personally, I think if you are leading the race you have done

the job to be leading the race and there is an incident outside of your

control and it takes your advantage away, you still should have some

advantage on the restart. I think that a rolling start is the better

way to do it. That's sort of understood. However, this is deemed

because the start of the race is probably one of the most exciting

parts so there is an opportunity to have a second option of that run to

the first turn, then you should have it. I think there will be some

incidents. You go back to Monaco and it was a standard start, there was

one in the wrong position and two penalties as the race went on and a

couple of other drivers, as well. In a standard racing start sometimes

they go in the wrong place. Where it's a start where they line up and

then go in their racing order, I can see there being some problems as

this one is rolled out. It's interesting. Tony, what feedback

have you had from the drivers so far? I absolutely endorse everything

Alan said. If you worked hard to get that advantage and it's blown away

and you have another start and the rest of it, it's a bit harsh. I can

jaeks see why it's happened, it's -- exactly see why it's happened, it's

entertainment. One of the things I did think about is if you rubbish

back to 2008 and Singapore -- remember if you remember back to

2008 and Singapore and there was a crash tactically and Alonso won the

race. The way these guys think it opens up Formula One to a more of

that kind of stuff. Strategic spinning with five lapse to go and

the other guy is in second place, that kind of thing. I asked Charlie

that yesterday and he said, I don't think we will get more of that, but

good question, he said, we might. I don't think that sort of situation

is going to arise again. There will be a big hand coming down on top of

that one. It's going to be harder for the cars. They're fragile, you

have five engines. You have got five pieces of the hybrid systems. If you

have a second or third restart then that could take a few cars over that

threshold. There might have to be a redesign of the car just to

accommodate the potential of one of those situations. Some of the

engineers were talking about the clutch systems which are more robust

but they're not designed for the possibility you might get three

starts. You could consider that. There will be redesign work to do.

Two or three drivers mentioned what about a restart with badly worn

tyres. Charlie's response was I don't think that will happen,

they'll take the opportunity to get a new set. We will see. We will see,

yeah. It's definitely going to be in the rules for next year. We will all

have to get used to that. There will be certain situations where they

won't come back to a standing start, within the first two lapse of the

original start and they won't have to line up again. It's something we

will all have to get used to next year and see how it works out. On

track at the moment, Ricciardo. He has only led three laps in his

Formula One year but it doesn't matter, he has that victory to his

name. Those last three laps of the Canadian Grand Prix are what

mattered. He is having a stellar season, you have to say. There is

the disappointed Marcus Ericsson. The end of his particular session.

His team-mate has gone out again. There's obviously been trouble for

the other car. I think we are going to hurt the

gearbox, does that mean they're using a different engine map,

different settings that's making a more aggressive gear change? It's

hard to know from that comment. Or whether they're worried about the

gearbox for another reason. The car is back in the pits now. Fourth

fasters so far, the session still led by Mercedes. Rosberg's Mercedes

with the fastest time. Hamilton second.

We are seeing Red Bull looking more competitive here.

Now they've all done a fairly rapid lap at some point during this

session they've stayed on the same set of tyres, it's unlikely we will

see many improvements. Just watching Max Chiltern here. The

British driver has gone a good job in qualifying the last few events.

He has evened up the balance a little. It's not a bad effort.

He is working on the tyre temperatures, keeping them

consistent and where they need to be to deliver the quick laps. They're

having a series of battles with Caterham they're generally getting

the better of. Haven't new bits or huge upgrades. It's a lack of money

in the Kitty, I think. Yes, indeed. Chloe Roberts, Max's girlfriend here

this weekend to keep an eye on what's going on. Ricciardo's car is

back in the garage. 11-and-a-half minutes to go in this first practice

session of the weekend at Silverstone, building up to the

British Grand Prix this weekend. The 50th running of a Grand Prix at

Silverstone. It started in 1958 on a very hastily cobbled together track

which was more of a butterfly shape. Two straits that were heading

towards each other on the original layout of the track. They quickly

changed that for subsequent races, I am glad to say. Over the years it

has evolved. There have been tremendous events here, tremendous

races. That history is going to be celebrated this weekend with some of

the parades, some classic cars being driven here this weekend. Of course

a big classic event coming up here, the historic event in a few weeks,

as well, to celebrate some of the older machinery.

A reminder, at Williams there is work going on to repair Massa's car

from damage when he crashed. Hoping to get him back out later. A lot of

work on Bottas car. Pace-wise he is in front and 5-3 up

in their personal qualifying battles. He is a bit heavier than

Kvyat that you pay penalty for in qualifying. He's done a decent job.

Some of his performances have been strong and he suffered reliability.

Qualifying he has been Q3 a number of times this year. Talking to James

yesterday they've managed to get both cars down to the weight limit

now even for Jean-Eric Vergne. Both cars now have to run with a little

bit of balance, I believe. There is the Dutchman driving for Caterham in

this session. Caterham really haven't been able to

put together many lapse. -- laps. Here is Robin crossing the line and

going on to a lap. Let's watch imup through the first couple of corners.

No way that he is flat through the first corner. We are coming in to

this arena section. It's difficult to get the power

down. Big chunk of wheel spin as he came

through the left-hander. Now beneath the bridge.

Watch how the car behaves on exit here.

A little tweak as he gets on the throttle. Does a lot of work on the

simulator for Caterham, of course, but this is his chance to get behind

the wheel of the car in anger. You can see, especially with the

Caterham, which is at the lower end of the grid, of course, compared to

the high down force we have seen on cars in recent years, they've lost a

lot of down force and it's not looking as dramatic, is it? That's

one of the things I noticed when I went to that test last year that

Susie did. I stood down there. Oh, nearly had a big slide. Locked up a

bit. Williams didn't have a lot of down force, Caterham too. The car

was noticeably slower through there. You can see it. Let's see the lap

time, 1. 43. 3. That's a long way off everybody really. Two-and-a-half

second off his team-mate at this stage. I would imagine they're run

ago lot of fuel on board. -- running a lot of fuel on board. His tyres

are fresh still. He wasn't out in the first part of the session.

Proving a bit of a handful the Caterham at the moment. Putting the

power down there. Let's look at this lock-up.

Locked up the right front which is slightly unusual there. It's usually

the inside front. He sorted that out and managed to complete the lap OK.

So getting his experience in, but it's not proving to be a

particularly straightforward day. We get to the closing moments now.

Six-and-a-half minutes to go of this first practice session at

Silverstone for the 65th British Grand Prix. 22 times the race has

been won by a British driver. Three British drivers in the race

this weekend. Lewis Hamilton is the one most people have their hopes

pinned on in trying to make it a 23rd win for a British driver. It

was him that did it last in 2008. He hasn't had that opportunity, last

year he was in position but the tyre failure which caused his retirement

also went on to affect a few other drivers. We did have a comment, a

question coming in about the kerbs, whether that was contributory in the

end to the tyre failures we saw last year. I did see the main man from

the MSA who does the circuit inspections yesterday and I asked

that question had there been any changes to the kerbs here at

Silverstone? He said, no, there was no need to. It proved to be very

much a tyre problem. We saw it and they changed things after last

year's British Grand Prix. There were a number of issues. Things like

casters, all sorts of things, and Derek was dismissive of the idea

that it was Silverstone's kerbs to blame. Yes, that's right. There

hasn't been too much change there. Everybody is expecting there to be

no problem. We have seen few tyre problems this year. This track does

generate more force than any other we are expecting it to be

straightforward. The boss at Ferrari now.

We will be hearing from him over the course of this weekend. Eddie Jordan

has had a interview with him which I am looking forward to. We don't know

much about him. He has kept private so far. They have brought in

somebody from outside the Formula One environment to do a management

job, to look at the strengths and weaknesses and rejuvenate the team.

It is far too early to make any judgements. We will have to see what

he comes up with. A bit of talk yesterday from Kimi Raikkonen. He

made a comment that he may well not be around after the end of next

year. What your thoughts on that? Will he still be there next year?

They need more from him. Fernando Alonso gets everything out of the

car, and Kimi Raikkonen has been some distance away from him. You

wonder about his motivation. Romain Grosjean is looking to move on, you

do wonder about Kimi Raikkonen's position. Romain Grosjean was asked,

would you be happy to go with Fernando Alonso again? Romain

Grosjean left Formula One, only to return, but he said he would have no

problem. He said, the last time I was against Fernando, I was very

young, and today would be different. He got on well with him. It was a

fairly good sales pitch! Romain Grosjean very keen to try to move

into a potential race winning car again. He scored very well in the

latter part of last year. again. He scored very well in the

latter part Look at Fernando Alonso! No change in that time, he

remains in third place. Always on the limit, Fernando Alonso. Romain

Grosjean looking to get into a car that can give him back some podium

finishes, after being such a high scorer last season. We are not

seeing any improvement, so the order is pretty much established. Mercedes

first and second, Ferrari and Red is pretty much established. Mercedes

first and second, Ferrari Bull next, with Fernando Alonso and Daniel

Ricciardo. Not much to choose between them. Sergio Perez is just

outside the top ten. Jules Bianchi is the fastest of the

backmarkers. RADIO: Just get enough of a gap for your final lap. Susie

Wolff bringing up the rear in terms of times, after the problems with

her car, she could not put in a representative number of laps.

It has been a difficult day for Williams, Felipe Massa hitting the

wall and Susie Wolff having to stop on track after four laps. Nico

Rosberg is at the top of the timesheets. We are coming off

there, but we will be back for the second free press this on the red

button at 1:55pm, see you then.