F1 British GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 and qualifying

The only driver yet to venture out on track in the first two minutes is Valtteri Bottas. Everybody so far on either the medium or hard compound tyres.

The British GP is part of the government's Events Research Programme (ERP), which as circuit boss Stuart Pringle told Autosport, has been crucial in making the event feel as normal as possible. Enjoy it, everyone.

How good is it to see crowds back in the Silverstone grandstands? Surreal, but very, very good.

One aspect of FP1 that will be extra-crucial for teams to master this afternoon will be making sure their aero balance is correct to ensure the optimal compromise for performance in Silverstone's fast sweepers and slow technical bends.

That's the first pointer in Jake Boxall-Legge's engineer's guide to Silverstone, with input from Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson, which Plus subscribers can read here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/uncovering-silverstones-engineering-secrets/6630256/

For those weather fans out there, the air temperature at Silverstone today is a BBQ-worthy 24.9 degrees C. Track temps are 43.8 degrees C, which even I think is too hot for a BBQ.

There's certainly been no shortage of storylines in F1 this week. Another interesting plot to follow this week has been the reaction to the findings of the Hamilton Commission, released earlier this week. In response, F1 has announced a scholarship and internship plan to improve diversity, as Luke Smith explains here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-announces-scholarship-and-internship-plan-to-improve-diversity/6630006/

Of course, Thursday also saw the public debut of a full-scale mock-up car, decked out in a flash chrome livery that reminded onlookers of late 2000s McLarens. Here's what the full-scale model really tells us about what to expect from next year: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/tech-insight-what-f1s-2022-full-scale-model-really-tells-us/6630756/

Another area of contention surrounds the decision to award the official pole position to the winner of the sprint race. Sebastian Vettel though was not convinced, calling it "wrong" as he believes it is a "new discipline" for the series.

Here's what the four-time champion (fourth on the all-time polesitters list) had to say on the matter yesterday:  https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/vettel-wrong-to-give-f1-sprint-race-winners-official-pole-stat/6630856/

Naturally, the main topic of discussion in yesterday's media sessions surrounded the new format. But while Carlos Sainz Jr reckons drivers will forget that the qualifying race isn't the proper GP for the first few corners, many are concerned it will have a negative impact on the race as all drivers will be allowed free choice of tyres. Here's Jonathan Noble's wrap up: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/how-f1-sprint-could-deliver-mega-seven-corners-and-a-dull-gp/6631136/

But of course, qualifying isn't the end of the fun as tomorrow we have FP2 and a half-hour sprint race that will determine the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. It's a new format for everybody, and one that will make FP1 even more important than usual.

Unless you've been under a rock this week, you'll have likely noticed that the format this weekend is a little different than normal at Silverstone. We've got just one practice session today, which kicks off in a little over 20 minutes, before qualifying later this evening at 6pm local time.

Good afternoon everybody, welcome along to Autosport's live coverage of Friday action from the British Grand Prix.