Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari is “in the mix” at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix after a competitive showing at Silverstone on Friday.

Hamilton led the way in FP1 before taking third in Friday’s second practice session behind Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, as Ferrari looks to be McLaren’s closest rival both in qualifying laps and on long runs.

It’s an encouraging start for the seven-time world champion, who is chasing an unprecedented 10th home win in Silverstone, after what has been a challenging start to his Ferrari stint that has often seen the Briton having to find different set-up solutions from Friday to Saturday.

But on Friday Hamilton looked comfortable straight away, and afterwards he confirmed he feels strong from the off.

“It was a really good day,” Hamilton said. “Great to see the crowd. Amazing to see, to be out on track in a Ferrari here at Silverstone. It’s been pretty incredible.

“And also, with the Red Bull and McLaren had an upgrade, so for us to be in the mix still, given that they’ve had a step today, it’s really positive.”

He later added: “I definitely feel that we can dream of having a strong weekend. Executing and putting it all together and extracting it is another thing. But I think I’ll prepare myself the best I can to make sure we get the best result.”

When asked about the reasons behind his stronger Friday performance right out of the gate, he explained: “I’m progressing a lot now with the car and I’m much more comfortable knowing where it needs to be.

“I think by FP2, we still weren’t where we needed to be. In FP2 I definitely struggled a little bit more, but we know the changes that we need to make for the next session.

“Tomorrow there’s rain potentially coming and also on Sunday as well, so I’m just going to try my hardest to make sure we’re ready for that.”