SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Brad Pitt is joining the Formula One paddock for his new movie. He might stand as much chance as anyone else of beating Max Verstappen.
Verstappen will be aiming for his eighth win in 10 races this year on Sunday as he surges toward winning the title for a third straight year. His Red Bull team has won 19 of the last 20 races going back to July 2022.
As F1 welcomes Pitt for a weekend of filming around the British Grand Prix, race organizers and police are wary of possible environmental protests.
PROTEST WARNINGS
Activists representing the Just Stop Oil group ran onto the track at last year’s race, passing close to cars shortly after the race was red-flagged for a first-lap crash. Since then, Just Stop Oil protesters have made their mark on British events including Wimbledon and the Ashes cricket. The group wants the British government to block all new oil, gas and coal extraction projects.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton signaled he would back a “peaceful” protest but expressed concern for the safety of drivers and protesters if anyone makes it onto the Silverstone track again.
“From my perspective, and I think my team’s, we are very, very focused on sustainability, we believe in what people are fighting for and we are making those changes as a sport,” Hamilton said Thursday. “But safety is key. We don’t want to be put in harm’s way and we don’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way.”
McLaren driver Lando Norris said there should be “pretty severe” consequences if lives are put at risk.
“If it happens in the paddock and things like that, I guess that probably causes different scenarios, but it just can’t happen on a race track because you put actual people’s lives in danger,” he said.
Six activists who stormed the track last year were spared prison sentences in March. Local police said they will deploy facial recognition technology.
VERSTAPPEN LEADS PRACTICE
Verstappen was top again in both Friday practice sessions, leading the first by .448 seconds over teammate Sergio Perez and the second by .022 from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Verstappen complained of a lack of grip early in the first session but it hardly seemed to limit his pace.
Alex Albon was third fastest in each session in a strong showing for Williams, which also saw American driver Logan Sargeant fifth in the second session, behind Perez.
The kind of dominance shown so far this season by Verstappen and Red Bull is already making F1 history. Red Bull is the first team to win all of the first nine races of a season since McLaren won 11 in 1988.
That 1988 season was enlivened by a fierce battle between world champion teammates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, though. Verstappen’s own teammate, Perez, started the season strongly but has faded, partly because he’s struggled repeatedly in qualifying, and was 81 points off Verstappen in second place.
