2023 F1 British GP FP2: Full results and Key takeaways

The first day of running in the 2023 F1 British GP ended with the familiar site of Max Verstappen on top of the standings, closely followed by Carlos Sainz.

In a session where it did appear that the formbook was just thrown out of the window, we had both WIlliams drivers in the top five of the timesheets.

Not only that, the session featured Lewis Hamilton and George Russell with their best laps outside of the top 10, while Charles Leclerc could not even take part in the session due to an electrical issue.

In all of this, we had quite a few surprises as the new tire introduced specifically for Silverstone threw a curveball toward the teams.

With both of the Free Practice sessions now done and dusted, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

2023 F1 British GP FP2: What did we learn?

#1 Max Verstappen is operating in a different league right now

It's not as if Red Bull looks ominous right now, it's just a case of Max Verstappen performing at a level that nobody can keep up.

Sergio Perez was only fourth-fastest in FP2, and it was more of the same in FP1 as well. When you look at the Mexican's lap times, you see that the Red Bull can be caught.

Unfortunately, then you look at what Max Verstappen is putting together, and the whole debate goes out of the window.

Verstappen holds the edge over the entire field over a lap and in the long run as well.

#2 Mercedes and Aston Martin are further away than they would have expected

In terms of the long-run pace, it does appear that both Mercedes and Aston Martin has things under control, but if the one-lap pace is not there, things will be tough.

The drivers from both teams struggled to put things together when it came to stringing a strong lap, and that did hurt the team in the long run.

The team will be working overnight to sort this out, and hoping that it can be a bit more competitive over a single lap.

With the rain forecast for qualifying, the teams will be hoping it works in their favor.

#3 Willams was doing a bit of showboating on Friday

The lap times put together by Wiliams during FP1 and FP2 of the 2023 F1 British GP impressed everyone.

There was almost a sense of optimism for the commentators as they saw Alex Albon finish the session in the top three of the standings. Well, let's not get carried away here.

The timings were impressive, but we might need to keep in mind that this is a weekend when Williams is celebrating its 800th GP.

There's a special livery in place as well. More often than not, when that happens, you could see a team doing what could be called a 'Glory Run'. The Fp1 and Fp2 of the 2023 F1 British GP might have seen WIllaims do just that.

#4 Alpine and McLaren could prove to be a headache for the top 4

Alpine and McLaren could prove to be a headache for the top four at the 2023 F1 British GP. What seems evident this weekend is that neither Aston Martin nor Mercedes have nailed their setups yet.

As a result, both McLaren and Alpine, two teams that are probably a step below the top four, have got a headstart this weekend.

While the long runs do indicate that Mercedes and Aston Martin still hold the edge, we have to keep in mind that Silverstone is not the best track for pulling off overtakes. Making your way through the field in the 2023 F1 British GP is going to be tough if a driver does not qualify well.

As a result, both Alpine and McLaren could prove to be a thorn in the side of teams like Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari.

#5 Ferrari might be looking at a recap of Barcelona in the F1 British GP

Carlos Sainz's long run on the soft tire will be giving the team flashbacks of what happened in Barcelona a few races back.

The way the Spaniard's lap times fell off a cliff was alarming to watch, and it did indicate that Ferrari might not be entirely on top of its tire degradations issues.

To add to this, the 2023 F1 British GP qualifying is expected to be affected by rain. If that happens, then Ferrari seems to be one of the cars that struggle in mixed conditions, and that could work against the team as well.