Hamilton gets FIA call ahead of British GP as Verstappen and Russell absent

With the Red Bull Ring weekend now in the rear-view mirror, Formula 1 heads straight to another of the season's most eagerly anticipated events as the paddock arrives at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. George Russell travels to his home race fresh from his victory in Austria, having claimed his first win since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

There will also be plenty of attention on fellow home favourite Lewis Hamilton, with many eager to see whether he can challenge for victory as he did in Barcelona or endure another difficult weekend like the one in Austria, where straight-line speed and battery management once again are expected to play a crucial role.

As usual, the FIA media schedule begins on Thursday with the drivers' press conferences. The first session, starting at 14:30 CEST (13:30 UK), will feature Lance Stroll, Gabriel Bortoleto and Lando Norris, before Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton and Arvid Lindblad will take part in the second session at 15:00 CEST (14:00 UK). On Friday, team representatives Steven Nielsen, Fred Vasseur and Zak Brown will face the media from 15:30 CEST (14:30 UK).

Absent from the FIA press conference, however, will be the top three finishers from last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix: George Russell, Max Verstappen and championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Instead, the trio will carry out their media duties through the various TV interviews and written media sessions held throughout Thursday's Media Day.

The weekend's remaining FIA press conferences will take place after the on-track sessions, with the top three finishers from Saturday's Sprint, the three fastest drivers in qualifying and Sunday's top three finishers all set to speak to the media.

Silverstone is set to host the fourth Sprint weekend of the 2026 season, following previous Sprint events in China, Miami and Canada. With only one free practice session before competitive running begins, teams will have limited time to fine-tune their cars ahead of Sprint Qualifying, which will decide the grid for Saturday's Sprint.

Saturday will feature both the Sprint Race and qualifying for the British Grand Prix. The weekend begins on Friday with Free Practice 1 at 13:30 CEST (12:30 UK), followed by Sprint Qualifying at 17:30 CEST (16:30 UK). The Sprint Race is scheduled for Saturday at 13:00 CEST (12:00 UK), before qualifying gets underway at 17:00 CEST (16:00 UK). Sunday's British Grand Prix will start at 16:00 CEST (15:00 UK).