HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from an exciting second practice session at the British Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz was the fastest man on the first day of running at the British Grand Prix, as the Spaniard topped the timesheets in the second practice session at Silverstone.

As the drivers went out for their qualifying simulations, Sainz, on the soft tyre, set a time of 1m 28.942s to lead the improved Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, in P2, by 0.163s. Lando Norris, in the McLaren, finished in third, 0.176s behind his former team mate.

It was a mixed day for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finishing in fourth and seventh, respectively. Fernando Alonso set the fifth fastest time, ahead of Charles Leclerc in sixth. George Russell, in the other Mercedes, finished in eighth, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in ninth, with Lance Stroll rounding out the top 10.

FP2: Sainz leads British duo of Hamilton and Norris in second practice at Silverstone

It was a limited session for Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel, with both drivers dealing with damage to their cars. Ocon was confined to the pits with a cracked sidepod, while Vettel suffered from a broken floor.

Click on the video player above to relive the action from the second practice session, as we get set for qualifying on Saturday.